I got up and realised there was something wrong with the electricity. I thought it may have been one of Eskom’s typical load shedding and decided to go back to bed and check first thing at 06:00.
I realised something was definitely wrong when some lights were very dim and the telephone and alarm system was not working properly. I called City Power on the 011Â 375 5555 and waited for half an hour without any response (I thought it was a 24-hour line!). I tried again after 08:00 with no response.
I decided to call Clr Dos Santos, the Ward 54 councillor for our area. By then, he said, there were a few requests for assistance but he would assist by getting the relevant people involved to look into the matter.
At this stage it was clear to me that ClrDos Santos had a busy day ahead of him; he was going to assist me even though he had other prior arrangements. I was not really expecting him to help me as these particular issues are not his responsibility but City Power’s wh were not even responding to my calls.
Later, after 12:00, I called Clr Dos Santos and asked him if there was feedback. He told me that they (Eskom/City Power) will attend to the problem between 13:00 and 14:00, as they were inundated. At roughly 14:30, our power was restored.
On behalf of my family and our neighbours, I want to thank Clr Dos Santos from the bottom of our hearts. People like Clr Dos Santos give ‘67 minutes’ of their time, all the time, it seems!
Y Ahmed
