A group of about 1,000 Vaal University of Technology students residing in 50 communal residences in Vanderbijlpark, south of Johannesburg, are in limbo as they have been without electricity for a month because of a damaged transformer.

Students said this was affecting their school work as they are now learning remotely. Some landlords said this had left a deep hole in their pockets as they were now spending extra for gas stoves, solar panels and some had to hire generators...