Cape Town - After two weeks without electricity, residents from Avey Road, Epping Forest in Elsies River, can breathe a sigh of relief after their power was restored on Wednesday.
The residents experienced the power outage on December 4, when one of Eskom’s kiosks burned in the middle of the night, however, after logging many complaints, nothing was done to restore the power.
Chronic patient and pensioner, Nafera Ganief, 66, said she depends on a nebuliser and oxygen machine, however, with the power being out, she had to make use of an asthma pump.
“I am grateful to you guys (Cape Argus), this is such a relief. We have repeatedly sent emails and logged complaints to Eskom but we only got reference numbers and empty promises.
“I had three severe strokes, a double bypass and a heart operation and use a crutch. When my chest felt tight I had to run to the neighbours in the next road who have electricity to plug in my oxygen machine so I can breathe.”
Neighbour, Ruben Williams, shared the same sentiments and said they had to sleep with their eyes open as criminals targeted the power cables.
“We are unsure if the box exploded due to an electrical fault or if someone tempered with it, but we tried to get assistance from Eskom. They came out to have a look but nothing was done.”
After Cape Argus reached out to Eskom, they sent a technical team to fix the issue.
They released a statement saying that Eskom infrastructure was vandalised.
“This criminal act resulted in the loss of supply to Avey Road in Epping Forest. Upon investigation, it was found that the interruption to supply was caused by the vandalism of one of our kiosks, which sustained considerable damage. Criminal activities targeting infrastructure not only disrupt essential services but also create delays in restoring power, as we need to secure specialised resources and ensure compliance with safety standards before reactivating supply.
“Our teams have already mobilised resources and prioritise the repair and restoration process. However, due to the extent of the damage and the need to procure certain materials, the timeline for resolution has been longer than we would have hoped.”