LETTER: Power issues in Ward 2: ‘We want answers!’
'We sit with no power for days on end. We had a ward meeting recently and the councillor said he had no answers as to why this was happening.'
• Anonymous writes:
Please assist us in getting clear answers to the constant electricity issues in Randfontein Ward 2.
We have stolen cables, or so reported back to the community, every week. We also pay an extra amount on our bill for security, to protect the cables. Yet we sit with no power for days on end. We had a ward meeting recently and the councillor said he had no answers as to why this was happening.
He wanted us to march to the municipality today, to resolve this issue. He also needed us to go to an industrial company and speak to top management to assist us.
His final answer was that the community should reconnect the cables ourselves; however, the municipality would not take any responsibility for injury or loss of life.
I urged him not to do this, as we cannot take the lives of others into our hands. We as the community of Ward 2 need urgent assistance in this matter as this might soon cause loss of life. But you have to understand the amount of frustration from the community. We are stranded for days, and sometimes weeks on end with no power.
We have lost food, livestock, and equipment due to this. Also please keep in mind, the majority of us have borehole pumps, and we cannot get water if we have no electricity. Running generators in this economy costs in excess of R200 per day for fuel. And then we still get an exorbitant amount on our bill from the municipality.
We plead with you to assist us with this.
The Herald has approached Rand West City Local Municipality spokesperson Phillip Montshiwa to give feedback on the matter. He acknowledged the email and is yet to respond — Ed.
