Local expresses her dissatisfaction with the energy department

I wish to draw your attention to the absolute lack of service in the Alberton electricity department.

My daughter went on February 3 to this department, situated on Swartkoppies Road, at 14:15 (please note this time).

She decided to go to their offices since we had been without electricity since February 1 in Brackendowns.

She had phoned the electricity department on that day and was given a reference number. When she got there on Friday afternoon, the door was closed. As she arrived there was another lady who had also arrived with a prepaid meter box in her hand.

She had also phoned them and had been told to bring her faulty meter to the offices that day and that it would be replaced. This lady had two small children in her car with her.

Seeing the closed door, my daughter walked around the building and entered through an open door and walked through the offices. Not a single person was there.

She phoned the telephone number displayed on the door and she spoke to the person answering the phone. She gave her reference number as requested and the person answering could not explain why there were no personnel in the offices.

In the course of the conversation, my daughter also mentioned the lady who had come on their instructions to bring the prepaid meter to their offices.

Giving up in despair she then approached the security officer on the grounds to check on the electricity department working hours and was told that they closed at 15:30. So why was nobody working according to the office hours displayed on the door?

By the way, the offices throughout and the grounds outside are disgusting. In the offices, the blinds had been screwed and tied up. They no longer hang properly. The entire place is filthy. She has photos to prove the conditions existing there.

I think something needs to be done about this absolute lack of service. Today a representative from the electricity department arrived at the meter box in our street, but could not open it as there is only one person in the department who has a spanner to open the meter box.

There were exactly four employees in the electricity department who service the entire Alberton area regarding the street meter boxes. So far, nobody has arrived to open the street meter box on February 4.

I find the lack of sufficient employees to service the Alberton area disturbing because this leads to the suspicion that funds are being badly administrated.

Disgusted resident

CoE’s response

Responding to the letter, the city’s spokesperson Zweli Dlamini said, “The city was not aware of the complaint. The department has many officials servicing Alberton. The normal working hours are 08:00 to 16:00 and employees are expected to adhere to the working hours.

“The city will appreciate if the reference number or address of the customer is provided so that they are assisted.”