Gemina Sibeko, 84, said she is one of those who have been sitting without electricity for seven months, although she pays her electricity bill regularly.
- Tampering with meter boxes is the reason 160 Soweto households are without power.
- Those who used electricity illegally were disconnected.
- Some residents claim they have never bypassed the meter box, but they have been without power since June 2023.
In Dobsonville, Soweto state, about 160 households have been without power since June due to a faulty transformer. Many of the victims are pensioners.
According to GroundUp, Eskom said the transformer failure was caused by people illegally bypassing the meter box.
Gauteng Eskom spokeswoman Amanda Kitty said when the transformer failed, those who were using electricity illegally were disconnected and asked to pay a R6,052.60 “relief fee”.
This can be paid in stages starting from a R500 payment. She said if 60% of those involved pay, new transformers could be installed and connectivity restored.
However, Kitty admitted that despite reaching the 60% threshold in Dobsonville, households were still without electricity.
Kitty said:
The work that needs to be done before supplies can be restored is not yet completed. Work continues to install necessary equipment such as smart meters. After that, start normalizing your network.
Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi visited the region in November and promised to provide electricity to households by Christmas.
Asked about the delay, his spokesperson Sizwe Pamula said the installation work would not be completed by Christmas because some Eskom and City Power employees were on holiday, which delayed work. .
“But everyone is back to work and we are ramping up our efforts to make sure every home and town is properly switched on,” he said.
Read | Eskom substation failure leaves 145 households without power for two months
Gemina Sibeko, 84, who lives with her two grandchildren, said she had never bypassed the meter box.
“I paid my electricity bill. I still have the receipt to prove I paid it. That's why I should get my electricity bill back.”
She said residents marched to the ANC headquarters at Luthuli House.
She added:
They told us it was not their problem. Eskom needs to fix that.
Kitty said she doesn't know when power will be restored.
“We will provide updates as work progresses,” she said.
