Families celebrated Eid in the dark
POWER CUTS: Adielah Gabriels from Pelican Street in Sunbird, Kuils River POWER CUTS: Adielah Gabriels from Pelican Street in Sunbird, Kuils River
About 10 families in Sunbird, Kuilsriver could not celebrate Eid on Monday due to a power outage caused by illegal connections from a nearby informal settlement called Sophia Town.
Adielah Gabriels of Pelican Street says the lights went out on Sunday already and all her labarang kos got spoiled.
The electricity was still off on Tuesday.
“My jelly, pie...everything was ruined,” the kwaad woman tells the Daily Voice.
“We could not have breakfast and lunch because we do not have electricity.
“The food is ruined now and we must throw it all away.
“The whole street has been without electricity since Sunday.”
POWER CUTS: Adielah Gabriels from Pelican Street in Sunbird, Kuils River
She also said they had to spend money on gas for their stoves.
“We are sick and tired of this. Why can’t the police come and do something?
“When we remove the wires they (Sophia Town residents) threaten to burn our houses.”
Her neighbours say every winter they face the same challenge.
Alliyya Aneesa Benjamin says: “Why must we suffer like this for people who want things for free? We called Eskom and they told us they fix the electricity but the people will just go to the pole to connect again.”
The area’s ratepayers association chairperson Rudie Stevens said: “People cannot stand this, they are selling their properties due to the discomfort caused by the illegal connections.
Eskom spokeswoman Trish Da Silva said illegal connections are a huge problem: “They cause the network to become overloaded and transformers then break.
“Eskom have to remove the illegal connections which are dangerous and then repair the damaged
equipment.
“Once we make the repairs, the electricity supply is restored. As soon as we leave the area, the illegal connections are replaced and the cycle begins again.”