RESIDENTS in Stockville Road, Gillitts, are frustrated with the ongoing power outages in the area.
The fed-up residents said that almost every day, they experience power cuts which, most of the time, last more than six hours.
A resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said their fridge is not working properly now.
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“My husband is also struggling with his health as he has to sleep with a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine for his heart condition, and due to the power being off, it creates a problem for him,” she said.
The resident said these power outages also affect small children as well as most early morning risers as the power goes out from about 01:00.
Another resident said that their complex had to upgrade their backup batteries for the gate due to the long power outages.
“The normal batteries did not last for six hours. There are many complexes in Stockville Road as well as many houses and business premises from Old Main Road, Gillitts, down to the industrial area. These are all affected in one way or another,” he said.
Power outages are caused by cable theft
Ward 10 councillor Caelee Laing said the ongoing cable theft in Stockville Road and surrounds has been affecting residents for the past two months.
Laing said that at one stage, following an inspection that she did, there were more than 40 cables stolen which the Electricity Department had to replace.
“Further to this, a month ago, the City ran out of cable supply due to the increase in cable theft in eThekwini.”
According to Laing, when these cables are stolen, offenders turn off medium voltage (MV) power supply first before stealing the cables.
“This causes large area outages until the Faults Division restores area power. After that, those affected by individual cable theft are still left without power until said cables can be replaced,” she said.
The ward councillor reported that she has been in regular contact with the Electricity Department officials to have these constant outages addressed timeously, and with Metro Police to increase patrols in the area when possible.
“The challenge is resource availability for the area they cover.”
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In addition, Laing said she has been engaging closely with affected residents, community leaders and representatives who are working together to implement prevention of this theft by establishing a neighbourhood watch.
“They are working with various security companies, as well.”
She praised the active citizens in the area who have been diligently reporting these incidents and any vandalised poles so they can have them attended to faster.
“The community has really come together to try to prevent this from happening. From my side, I will continue to assist as much as possible,” she said.
The ward councillor reported that she has been in regular contact with the Electricity Department officials to have these constant outages addressed timeously, and with Metro Police to increase patrols in the area when possible.
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