- Wesbank residents last Thursday took to the streets and burnt tyres in frustration.
- Police had to be called in to bring calm to the streets.
- At one stage the entrance to Wesbank was blocked off by the traffic cops.
Things returned to calm in Wesbank after violence erupted last week because residents were fed-up with the constant electricity problems in the area.
The community has suffered for a long time with electricity problems, sometimes being off for days on end.
Residents last Thursday took to the streets and burnt tyres in frustration. Police had to be called in to bring calm to the streets. At one stage the entrance to Wesbank was blocked off by the traffic cops.
Has been gone on too long
Ebrahim Sawant, local Ward councillor, said he shared the resident’s frustration. “This has been going on for too long and we hope the problems can be solved once and for all,” he said.
Sawant, on behalf of the electricity task team, delivered a memorandum to Eskom demanding Minister in The Presidency responsible for Electricity Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa visit the area.
It reads: “On behalf of all the communities mentioned in the memorandum delivered to you we beseech you to continue the services required urgently, as the communities are experiencing life-threating situations because of load shedding and outages caused by old infrastructure.
“We also want you to request the minister of electricity to pay a visit to these communities by no later than 19 October, after which complete load shedding in these areas must stop. Should the minister ignore the reasonable request we will contemplate legal action with the support of the South African Human Rights Commission SAHRC.”
Eskom responds
In a media release after receiving the memorandum Eskom said it would respond in due course.
“Eskom has had ongoing meetings with community leaders of Wesbank and surrounding areas to resolve the matters the community is grappling with. Eskom regularly engages community leaders, councillors, and other stakeholders to find solutions to their concerns and to protect the Eskom network and ensure the continuity of supply.”
Also read: Residents in Wesbank, Cape Town demand action for ‘unplanned’ load shedding
Gratitude to the community
“Trish da Silva, Senior Manager Retail, expresses her gratitude to the community for their patience and highlights that Eskom is aware of the numerous challenges the communities are facing. These electricity-related challenges are coupled with theft and vandalism, illegal connections and extensive damages to the Eskom infrastructure caused by the recent floods.
“Eskom continues to repair the network, which includes sub-stations and damaged power lines. We are intensifying relationships with our valued stakeholders and communities in finding sustainable solutions to fight the scourge of illegal connections and vandalism that cause these prolonged interruptions.
“We trust in the support of the communities to protect the Eskom infrastructure as well as safeguarding our employees that perform their duties in these volatile areas.”
