Power cuts could result in man’s death
An electricity interruption could be the difference between life and death for a Northmead resident, who is now calling on the municipality to ensure a maintenance plan is followed to prevent further power cuts in Benoni.
On June 13 and 14, several Benoni suburbs were again plunged into darkness.
According to metro spokesperson Zweli Dlamini, the cause was a cable fault at a Rynfield substation, on Pretoria Road.
Earlier in June, Crystal Park, Rynfield and Ebotse Golf and Country Estate and surrounding areas also experienced a break in transmission.
This fault was due to a fire at the same substation on Pretoria Road – the one which was damaged in a fire in January, this year.
The latest interruption was a life and death scenario for Northmead resident Howard Ware, who suffers from sleep apnea.
Sleep apnea causes sufferers to stop breathing while they sleep, and would result in Howard’s death without the use of a CPAP machine, which pumps pressurised air into his lungs.
Howard said he cannot afford a battery back up on the machine, leaving him dependent on a constant supply of electricity to power the machine.
He explained that a generator or any power surge could damage the CPAP.
“I was too scared to go to sleep,” said Howard of the June 13 power cut, which started at around 7.40pm.
His wife, Melanie, said: “I started dozing off, and the minute he went silent I had to nudge him awake.”
She said the situation was made worse due to a lack of communication from the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality (EMM).
The husband and wife spent the night talking to each other to stay awake.
Although the power returned at 3.45pm the following day, the two said they were already finding out from friends in Kempton Park whether they could spend the night with them.
Howard said he hopes more power cuts do not occur.
“It is a major concern,” he said.
“What the hell are we paying rates and taxes for?
“… What has happened to the maintenance programme?
“This fire happened in January, why would it catch fire?”
Howard said the power interruption resulted in him losing 600 of the fish he breeds on the property.
He described the power interruption as “beyond a joke”.
“We are speaking of my health here,” he added.
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