Eskom taken on
SUNNINGHILL – Disgruntled residents under the banner of ‘March against blackouts’ staged a protest outside Eskom’s Megawatt Park.
A 71-year-old woman, Paulina Kekana, from Thembisa was living in fear in her community since transformers blew up and burnt seven months ago.
She was among a group of residents who were protesting outside Eskom’s Megawatt Park on November 12.
Disgruntled residents embarked on a protest under the banner of ‘March against blackouts’ demanding the removal of Eskom’s CEO, André de Ruyter. Among their demands, they wanted the power utility to restore power in Thembisa as they alleged that most transformers burnt about seven months ago were yet to be replaced. They also demanded the dissolution of the board.
The protest leaders deadlocked with Eskom officials following a collapsed meeting. Community leader and one of the coordinators of the protest, Prince Ralushe, who was part of the meeting, said Eskom wanted them to pay R6 000 to get new transformers.
“Our people cannot afford to pay R6 000 because most of these people are social grants recipients. Eskom must pay for the infrastructure that blew up and residents will pay for electricity.”
Kekana added, “Our lives as elderly people are on the line. We can’t afford the amount that Eskom is demanding.”
Eskom Gauteng spokesperson Amanda Qithi Baanyang said the utility recorded a high number of failed electricity infrastructure in Gauteng. She said it was due to an overloading network resulting from illegal connections, meter bypasses and tampering and customers buying electricity from ghost vendors. “All these lead to the electricity infrastructure, mainly the mini substation and transformers, failing and exploding as is the case in Ivory Park,” she said.
She said the replacement or repair process of failed substations or transformers involved technicians conducting meter audits, removing illegal connections, disconnecting those who have contraventions, issuing reconnection fees of about
R6 000 and the settlements of the fines issued to those who have contraventions. “This is the replacement process that Eskom in Gauteng follows for many substations and transformers that faulted,” she said.
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