Local in Standerton gamely fights regular tripping of power
The current picture has the batteries on her heavy-duty lung machine not getting sufficient time to charge, communication on her cellphone is not possible and oxygen bottles at R900 a go to fill up, will deplete half-way through after two hours.
A life-threatening situation is playing out in mid-town where Alet van Vuuren is permanently on oxygen apparatus.
The tripping of electricity has enormous implications on the life of this resident.
The Standerton Advertiser spoke to Alet on Wednesday, October 5 after she posted a message on a WhatsApp group late one evening and a meeting was arranged.
The household is fitted with all the necessary to manage her condition.
“I have stabilised,” Alet said.
This 75-year-old woman has suffered heart failure on two occasions and sustained a pelvic fracture as well over the past years.
The current picture has the batteries on her heavy-duty lung machine not getting sufficient time to charge, communication on her cellphone is not possible and oxygen bottles at R900 a go
to fill up will deplete halfway through after two hours.
Although the household has a generator, the interruptions in the wee hours of the morning cause havoc.
“My husband has to go out in the dark to start the generator,” she added.
“It is dangerous.”
This woman has no other option but to stay awake till she is relatively sure that a night’s sleep will be possible.
Alet no longer takes her sleeping pill, as prescribed, and said one can’t rely on scheduled times.
She also suffers from asthma and headaches trouble her once oxygen supply hangs in the balance.
“They do not realise what it is doing to people in my situation,” she added.
“I am convinced I am not the only one in this position. Eskom and the proximity to Tutuka Power Station also contribute to the dirty air.”
Another factor that has to be reckoned with is not knowing how long the power will be off.
The man in the street sighs with relief when the appliances are still working, the fridge is humming along and the television has not gone on the blink after a power surge.
The number of problems at Lekwa is endless and the electricians at the municipality are kept on their toes with fault-finding.
A transformer exploded at the main substation the past week and Lekwa isolated substation A and switched on substations B and C.
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Rooikoppen, Ext 6, Ext 7, Shivovo, the area at Thuto-Thebe Secondary School and the R-line were affected. The K-line, P-line and Schwickard-line also contributed to the interruptions.
One woman commented that it was like a disco, except for the fact that no revellers were dancing.
Business people in the past budgeted for expenses at the beginning of the financial year, and the cost of running a generator on petrol or diesel now has to be taken into account.
The price of petrol decreased on Wednesday, October 5, while diesel went up. Some of those without the benefit of a generator or sun panels, sit outside their shops during load-shedding, waiting.
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A car wash in Standerton is struggling to cope with running their business during load-shedding.
Although they have a generator, the capacity is such that the vacuum cleaner and high-pressure machine can not be used.
Personal hygiene furthermore, takes a nosedive in some households. Water supply can’t be counted on since the pumps have to be switched on.
Eskom introduced Stage 4 load-shedding the past week and moved to Stage 3 on Thursday. With the trials and tribulations of the power utility, everybody is kept on high alert.
