WATCH: Langaville Ext 6 residents frustrated by recurring electricity problems
Frustration boiled over at the Kwa-Thema Customer Care Centre when a Langaville Ext 6 resident chained himself to a chair to demand action over an electricity outage that began on August 13.
Residents in the area say they are increasingly frustrated by ongoing electricity problems, claiming that households have been affected by an unreliable supply and that repeated reports to the municipality have failed to resolve the issue.
Victor Xingwenyana (65) took it upon himself to chain himself to a chair at Kwa-Thema CCC on August 17, demanding to be helped.
Xingwenyana’s partner, Edith Mabunda, told the African Reporter that the electricity issue at Langaville Ext 6 began on August 13, with the lights flickering and eventually going off.
She said on the same night, she called customer care, where she was given a reference number.
On August 14, the two went to the CCC, where they were told to go back home and that the technicians would follow them; however, the technicians did not come to the area.
“On Saturday, they came but did not resolve the matter and on Sunday, the same thing. The matter is frustrating because we have food items in the fridge that will be spoilt and I use them for my business,” said Mabunda.
She noted that the ongoing electricity issues have affected her children, who are currently in matric, and that when they occur, she has to take them to relatives to study.
The pair expressed dissatisfaction with the services they received from the municipality, particularly from the energy department.
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Mabunda also raised concerns about the lack of communication from the municipality, saying they often receive reference numbers when reporting faults but are left without clear updates on when technicians will attend to the problem.
She noted that the electricity issues tend to occur during the busiest week of the month, which is towards the end.
“Those are the busiest times for me as a businessperson because people get paid and I would stock up for my business, then an outage would occur, and we do not know until when,” said Mabunda.
Xingwenyana said they also approached their ward councillor for assistance. Mabunda notified the publication that the technicians attended to the issue on August 17, and that power was restored by 20:30.
