FRUSTRATED residents of Braamfischerville in Soweto say for the last 12 years they have had to deal with power outages, sometimes up to four times a week.
The bond-paying residents of the township's extension two said yesterday that despite numerous complaints to Eskom, they still have frequent power cuts.
This week, in the midst of yet another power cut, the community gathered at the home of their local community council chairman, Godfrey Lebeloane, who has a generator, to discuss their problems.
Local councillor George Lekgetho did not attend the meeting, since he had to attend to a bereaved family.
Committee member Matshidiso Sekulape said: "Electricity in our location is an all-round problem and we have complained to Eskom and still nothing has been done."
The residents have claimed that the power cuts were damaging their electricity appliances.
Resident Ralf Khubeka said: "When the problem started, Eskom would blame theft of cables and now they say we are bridging electricity (illegal connections)."
Eskom said the area had been experiencing power outages because of "illegal connections in the form of meter bypassing and tampering".
Eskom spokeswoman Hilary Joffe said yesterday: "We are dealing with the crisis and we are waiting for the local experts to tell us what the main problem is."
Residents, who live in RDP houses in the same township, said they were also affected by power outages.
Resident Ace Magongwa said he was unhappy with how the problem has been affecting his children.
"My children cannot do their school work because there are no lights. They also cannot even enjoy home cooked meals and have to live on bread," he said.
Another unhappy resident Poppy Motsitsi said she was not getting value for paying her electricity.
"I spend more trying to fix broken appliances and buying more groceries because food gets spoilt in the fridge when there is no power."
Eskom urged the community to help officials to put a stop on illegal connections and ensure that Braamfischerville had an uninterrupted supply of electricity.
Residents up in arms over power cuts
FRUSTRATED residents of Braamfischerville in Soweto say for the last 12 years they have had to deal with power outages, sometimes up to four times a week.
The bond-paying residents of the township's extension two said yesterday that despite numerous complaints to Eskom, they still have frequent power cuts.
This week, in the midst of yet another power cut, the community gathered at the home of their local community council chairman, Godfrey Lebeloane, who has a generator, to discuss their problems.
Local councillor George Lekgetho did not attend the meeting, since he had to attend to a bereaved family.
Committee member Matshidiso Sekulape said: "Electricity in our location is an all-round problem and we have complained to Eskom and still nothing has been done."
The residents have claimed that the power cuts were damaging their electricity appliances.
Resident Ralf Khubeka said: "When the problem started, Eskom would blame theft of cables and now they say we are bridging electricity (illegal connections)."
Eskom said the area had been experiencing power outages because of "illegal connections in the form of meter bypassing and tampering".
Eskom spokeswoman Hilary Joffe said yesterday: "We are dealing with the crisis and we are waiting for the local experts to tell us what the main problem is."
Residents, who live in RDP houses in the same township, said they were also affected by power outages.
Resident Ace Magongwa said he was unhappy with how the problem has been affecting his children.
"My children cannot do their school work because there are no lights. They also cannot even enjoy home cooked meals and have to live on bread," he said.
Another unhappy resident Poppy Motsitsi said she was not getting value for paying her electricity.
"I spend more trying to fix broken appliances and buying more groceries because food gets spoilt in the fridge when there is no power."
Eskom urged the community to help officials to put a stop on illegal connections and ensure that Braamfischerville had an uninterrupted supply of electricity.
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