Eskom has handed over the responsibility of implementing load-shedding to City Power in a bid to lessen the effects of power outages.
Barbara McDonald from Westdene is feeling desperate after the changes. “Oh, my gosh, depression is coming back. What’s the point of them taking over if it’s going to be worse rather than better? The two-hour break between load-shedding slots does not leave enough time to charge essential appliances and so on.”
MMC for Environment and Infrastructure Services Jack Sekwaila said, “The move will see City Power customers load-shed for two hours at a time up to Stage 8. The impact of load-shedding on the city’s economy cannot be understated and we should be deliberate in our efforts to cushion every sector from the gruelling impact of power cuts.”
Ward 88 councillor Nicolene Jonker said she is happy with the move and that City Power is looking into new load-shedding schedules. “I know there have been a few implementing challenges, but my ward doesn’t seem to have been affected.”
She says the petition she and other ward councillors started at the beginning of the year has had the intended impact.
Ward 99 councillor Nicole van Dyk sees things a little differently. “My stance is that there has clearly been no planning around this. Many areas are being load-shed for five hours in a six-hour slot – how is this better?”
She says councillors have been reaching out to City Power but are only receiving ‘generic’ answers to questions with no clear team in charge of the process.
City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena said, “We acknowledge some of the challenges with regard to some areas that were load-shed twice in a short period of time [twice in eight hours], and we are working hard to resolve the glitch.
“While this is a temporary inconvenience, the positive side is that residents will have more days without any load-shedding.”
It is envisaged that this clash of outages being so close together will only happen about four times a month across the city with some weeks ‘going for up to three consecutive days without any power interruptions’.
Related Article: City Power’s massive TID smart meter upgrade project underway
