No power for Princess residents
Princess residents are desperate after living without electricity for so long
Residents of the Princess informal settlement are frustrated because they still do not have electricity in their area.
It has been years since the informal settlement was established and residents have been receiving empty promises from the government about providing them with electricity. Yvonne Sebe, a street vendor from Princess said without electricity it is difficult to do the things necessary to make life easier.
“We cannot watch TV, cooking is difficult and it is not fair that the areas around us have electricity, yet we don’t,” she said.
Mapula Sebogo, another resident said because they do not have electricity, power cables are stolen. The thieves use the cables to create illegal electricity connections in their area. “This is dangerous because the shacks burn down and the children also get burnt,” said Sebogo. Another resident admitted that the people who stay with her also steal cables, although she is against it and believes it is very wrong.
PJ Pretorius, the manager of Matrix Warehouse in the Princess Crossing shopping complex near the informal settlement said his business has not been affected by cable theft, but he has heard other businesses complaining about it. “This affects the day to day running of the business and also creates more expenses for the businesses as they have to keep replacing the cables,” said Pretorius.
A City Power employee said that the entity is in the process of upgrading electricity supply in the Roodepoort area. He also said that due to the fact that the population is growing very fast, it is difficult to provide for everyone at the same time, but City Power is working on it.
Do you perhaps have more information pertaining to this story? Email us at roodepoortrecord@caxton.co.za (remember to include your contact details) or phone us on 011 955 1130.
For free daily local news on the West Rand, also visit our sister newspaper websites Randfontein Herald, Krugersdorp News and Get It Joburg West Magazine
Remember to visit our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages to let your voice be heard!
