Frustration from persistent power outages in the greater Modderfontein area saw a resident on the street with a placard questioning whether authorities cared about residents’ well-being.

Sylvia Diamond, residing at the Rand Aid retirement homes, took to Modderfontein Road on January 6 after the most recent outage with a placard which read, “Mr President, do you care? No power again!!”

The power went off at 04:00 on January 6 and returned at 14:30.

“I know it is not Rand Aid’s fault; they are doing everything they can to help us. However, the CoJ and the municipality need to improve the infrastructure to prevent this from recurring,” said Diamond.

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She said many residents have thrown away food because of the outages.

In a meeting with Rand Aid management on January 6, the News learnt that the Rand Aid villages had spent 15 days, half of December, without power.

He said the January 6 outage only affected Elphin Lodge.

Rand Aid CEO Gert Coetzee said the first outage, on November 30, following a large storm, lasted for 12 days. He said the second outage, three days long, started on December 29 and ended on New Year’s Eve.

“This has been an ongoing issue for so long. There seems to be no sense of urgency from the municipality to rectify it. Meanwhile, our residents and villages are affected,” said Coetzee.

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He said Rand Aid, an NPO, cares for elderly people who can be described as vulnerable and at different stages of health, all with different needs.

“Some might need to have insulin constantly refrigerated, and although we do set up communal fridges for food, insulin is a controlled substance, so we need to ensure it remains refrigerated and that the right people have access to it.”

Coetzee said that, besides the impact of the outages, the biggest threat they pose is to the reputation of Rand Aid, which had been inundated by messages from children about their parents’ well-being.

“If you’re a child living abroad or across the country, and your parent is facing this situation, without power, in a care facility, you would also be concerned.”

“We know that we have a responsibility to our residents and are constantly trying to ensure that their needs are met, that they are safe, secure and well looked after,” said Coetzee.

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He said Rand Aid is looking at long-term solutions, which would make it less reliant on municipal power.

One option would be solar. However, Coetzee said the minimum cost to install it would be between R30m and R40m.

During the December outage, Coetzee said practical measures were implemented to support residents.

“Residents could get hot water, charge their phones and gather safely at communal spaces, including the Tarentaal hall and the Inyoni Creek and Elphin Lodge clubhouses.

“The latter was supported by the Ron Smith Care Centre’s backup power, and the former ran on generators.”

Two communal meals were provided at Tarentaal, while staff, resident committees and security personnel remained on hand to help when possible.

Residents at the Elphin Lodge and Inyoni Creek with backup power have supported their neighbours, helping maintain morale and safety.

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Communication with residents is via WhatsApp and SMS channels, ensuring anyone in need receives timely assistance.

Coetzee said Rand Aid is committed to protecting the well-being and dignity of all residents and called on the relevant authorities to act and stabilise electricity in the area.

Councillor’s feedback

In response to the most recent outage, Ward 81 Clr Joanne Horwitz raised concerns about the ongoing unpredictability of electricity affecting the Tarentaal, Inyoni Creek and Elphin Lodge retirement villages, the Sandringham SAPS offices, the National Health Laboratory Service and the Edenvale and Sizwe Tropical Disease Hospitals.

She said that since City Power removed these institutions from the Gresswold Substation, which falls under the Kew Service Delivery Centre, and reconnected them to the Westfield Substation under the Midrand Service Delivery Centre, they have experienced a marked increase in repeated outages, many lasting for days at a time.

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“These outages are the result of ageing and failing feeder cables linked to the Westfield and Gresswold substations.

“The deterioration is such that faults occur repeatedly, with restoration often taking several days, indicating systemic infrastructure failure rather than isolated incidents,” said Horwitz.

According to Horwitz, this situation is no longer a routine maintenance matter but an infrastructure crisis.

She said City Power must urgently prioritise and commit to a clear, funded, and time-bound recovery plan to replace at least one but preferably both compromised feeder cables.

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“I will continue to push for long-term solutions, including the full replacement of degraded cabling and the establishment of a backup supply link to ensure resilience and prevent this level of ongoing disruption.”

A request for comment was sent to City Power on January 7, requesting comment by January 9 at 09:00.

At the time of going to print, no comment was received.