BOPHELONG. – The worst story for Joko Tea squatter Camp residents that were recently moved to Marikana near Bophelong Extension 14 and 15, has just begun.
Some of the Marikana residents, speaking during Freedom Day with no celebration due to Covid -19, said they are desperately connecting themselves to the power grid illegally. With Covid-19 numbers rising and winter sets in, the resident have no electricity.
They only have water and mobile toilets.
They are fully aware that the illegal electricity connections will alternatively cause a short-circuit of electricity to themselves and everybody as most of the households will lose electricity because the transformer that is supplying them will soon overheat and end up blowing up.
Warming himself with his entire family on the makeshift tin stove outside his shack, Jacob Mzwanzwana said nothing has changed with their lives ever since moving from Joko Tea Squatter Camp and that, instead, things look worse.
“To date nobody including the government officials know when exactly the virus will clear in order for everyone to go back to normal life.”
His sentiments were echoed by Tefo Molakeng who said that they had hope when President Cyril Ramaphosa took the stage to speak to the nation last week.
“We were all glued on to the TV hoping that the lockdown would be lifted,” expressed Molakeng.
Mzwazwana pointed out that when Emfuleni Local Municipality (ELM) brought them here two months ago, they thought their dream of owning their own stands had become a reality. Looking at the mobile toilets and water tank lining on the streets without electricity, the residents said things looks to be from bad to worse.
“Looking at our neighbours just across the furrow, one can say those are the people who enjoy Freedom Day. They have got everything a human being would like to have.”
Last week ELM disconnected some of the residents’ illegal connectors. It’s Spokesperson, Chuchie Radebe, said that they acted after receiving complaints about illegal connections from some residents of the nearby RDP’s. Radebe said that as long as they receive complaints, their department of electric would no doubt carry out disconnections.
