Dukuduku residents endure months-long power outage

A Mtubatuba councillor has run from pillar to post pursuing a favourable resolution for the residents of his ward who have endured months with no electricity.

Residents of Dukuduku, in the B22 section of Ward 2, have endured five to six months without power after a transformer supplying the area failed.

ALSO READ: Eskom audit to address electricity issues

Now the affected residents are forced to buy food daily or survive mostly on nonperishable goods.

This despite Councillor Mkhawuleni Zulu working tirelessly to resolve the matter.

According to Zulu, after the transformer failed, Eskom was notified.

After the power utility’s audit in the area, it was found that of the 194 households supplied by the transformer, only 20 were paying.

“The rest had illegal connections and Eskom would change the transformer only once each of the households that had illegally connected or tampered with electricity meters paid R6 000, or at least 75% of these households had paid the fine,” said Zulu.

However, the community failed to raise the required amount, with some residents going back on this agreement, saying fixing the transformer was the government’s responsibility.

He added that the residents’ plight has received the attention of provincial leadership who were in the area to inspect ongoing projects.

“For some households, it is very difficult to put together the R6 000.

Some people are unemployed and some simply cannot afford it,” said Zulu.

A community meeting, one which the councillor could not attend owing to personal commitments, was held last week to discuss the challenge.

However, Eskom maintained that the transformer would be replaced only once the terms had been met.

Zulu said he does hope the residents have their power restored, and he will continue to do everything he can to assist.

“It is also important that our communities pay for electricity because once such situations arise, people think it is the councillor who is not looking after the residents,” said Zulu.

Meanwhile, a similar situation remains unresolved in Mtubatuba’s Ward 7.

Here, two transformers failed owing to an overload caused by a high number of bypassed meters and illegal electricity connections.

Eskom stipulated the same terms; the issuing of R6 000 fines for the residents of Ward 7.

HAVE YOUR SAY