#ELECTIONS 2024 – SUBURB WATCH: Residents of Bartlett left without power for weeks

The bad and the ugly
Among the long-standing tales of woe that beset residents of the area are the frequent prolonged power outages caused by ageing electricity infrastructure that is old and dilapidated due to a lack of maintenance, dysfunctional streetlights, potholes, and the poor upkeep of public spaces including parks and road verges.

The area is also beset with a blocked storm water system.

When it comes to their biggest service delivery woe – electricity- residents of Bartlett and neighbouring suburbs have been left without power since March 23. By April 4, energy crews were still working to replace the damaged cables.

With the ever rising cost of living, the blackout has come at a heavy additional cost as households and businesses had to toss fresh or frozen food in the trash after days without power.

Others have already spent thousands of rands on generators to keep their lights on and cooling equipment running during the blackout.

The latest electricity blackout is believed to be as a result of infrastructure damages caused by load-shedding.

According to a resident and the area’s ward councillor, Simon Lapping, the power outage started just after load-shedding had ended and power was supposed to turn on.
Apparently the outage came after load-shedding wreaked havoc on the ageing power cables.

“The ageing electricity cables have, over the years, developed cracks that result in power failures that have become a headache for both the energy department and residents.
“It’s still unclear as to when this blackout will end in the affected areas because the cabling needs a major upgrade. A decision was taken to replace the dilapidated cables on a stretch of 1.2km between Atlas Road and Bartlett, while a 449 metre-long cable has been replaced in another section of the affected suburbs,” explained Lapping.

The situation has also attracted intervention from ActionSA which organised a public meeting on April 3.

About 200 fuming residents converged on the park outside El Ridge Corner where they met with energy department representative who gave them feedback on the work to restore power, and pointed out the underlying causes of the frequent outages.

William Olivier, the city’s chief area engineer, told residents during the meeting that the problem stems from 2020 when the city implemented budget cuts. He said budget constrains have impacted the department’s ability to procure electricity equipment and delayed replacement or upgrades of ageing electricity infrastructure across the city. The spike in cable theft has also made the situation worse in the area. He emphatically blamed the latest blackout on load-shedding.

Olivier, however, assured residents that his teams are working tirelessly to restore power. It was speculated that power would be restored by Thursday morning. This didn’t happen, apparently due to the wet weather and shortage of replacement cables.

A resident, Tereza dos Santos, said apart from the electricity issues, the area is beset with lack of service delivery including general maintenance of roads and green spaces.
“The lack of service delivery has prompted us residents to do things ourselves, from cleaning and cutting overgrown public areas and fixing road defects.”
Resident Mike Brandon described the blackout as an unbearable situation.

“People are already living on the bear minimum and now they have to spend extra money on petrol or diesel if they are lucky enough to have a generator. The decay of infrastructure impacts the quality of life to such an extent that some people have resorted to leave the area,” said Brandon.

Another resident, Vibashni Naidoo, lamented the sad state of the roads.

“The municipality just do quick fixes instead of doing a proper job. They are also using people who are not qualified enough to do the work.”

Sarina Odendaal also bemoaned the constant power outages. “The section where I live we struggle with water supply when there is no electricity. Another concern in Bartlett is streetlights that are getting vandalised.”

Fernando Sboro, who has been living in the area for decades, added that traffic is also an issue when parents drop off and up their their kids at the school.
“The infrastructure has been deteriorating over the last thirty years.”

The good
Despite all the service delivery woes, it’s not all doom and gloom in Bartlett. Residents pointed out that refuse collection, which used to be an issue two years ago, has drastically improved.

Several community projects focused on clean-ups, grass-cutting, roads maintenance and security are also flourishing.

Among the role players are Litter Bugs, Homestead Helpers for Benoni and Boksburg Community Project and other community volunteers.

Residents described their community as a close-knit community with residents ready to help each other.

“If someone is in need of assistance there is always someone willing to help,” said Brandon.

Brandon added another good thing are the security companies that are always available to assist.

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Also Read: Four Boksburg suburbs left without power for nearly two weeks