Out of sheer frustration and desperation over ongoing electricity issues, the ‘forgotten’ community of Mapleton is holding a public meeting on January 20.
They have even implored AfriForum to be present.
According to a business owner in the area, Evie Elliott, old and “pathetic” infrastructure in the area are at the heart of the power issues.
“We suffer power cuts every single day. Food has to be thrown away, people can’t warm milk for their babies and businesses are having to run off generators at an enormous cost – we simply can’t go on like this!” she said.
According to Elliott, their pleas for help have mostly fallen on deaf ears at the Ekurhuleni metro.
“They’ve thrown us to the wolves, without sympathy or empathy!”
Apparently, most of the metro’s explanations for the ongoing electricity issues have been vague.
However, a few scenarios council has offered as a cause for the power problems include large flocks of pigeons which perch on the electricity lines (the presence of the birds, council said, is due to farmers buying sunflower seeds for their cattle), a borehole pump on one of the property’s which is faulty and the wind which blows the power lines all over the show.
Not only are we literally powerles, but we feel powerless too. We are beyond desperate. The longer this situation persists, the worse the neglect of the infrastructure becomes. Are we still going to be sitting with this same problem in years to come because nobody cares?
“Drastic action is needed and it needs to happen now!”
The public meeting takes place at 9am at Plot 65, corner Diana and East End roads, Mapleton.
For more information, contact Elliott on 082 727 5840.
