Residents in Lonehill Ext 23, particularly in the lower-lying area near the Jukskei River, remain without electricity three days after an outage began on the morning of February 3.
This has left some households, including a family with a special-needs child, struggling to cope.
According to concerned property owner Izelda Crous, the power cut started shortly after 10am (February 3) and, as of February 5, many households are still in the dark with no clear restoration timeline from Eskom.
Crous said residents have logged faults daily, only to have them repeatedly closed by Eskom without resolution. “Every time a fault is closed, we are forced to log a new one, which resets Eskom’s seven-hour restoration window. This effectively buys them more time,” she claimed.
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Crous claimed that when questioned about the logged faults being closed, Eskom reportedly cited ‘system errors’ or offered varying explanations, ranging from waiting for parts to technicians allegedly being on site repairing cables.
“Each call tells a different story. Eskom records these calls, so this pattern can be verified.”
Eskom has confirmed on its social media platforms that electricity supply has been restored to about 50% of affected customers in Fourways and Lonehill.
The utility said repairs to a damaged cable are underway, adding that a further fault occurred on February 4, at around 4pm, while teams were busy restoring the supply.
“The location of the faulty cable has been identified, and teams have commenced removing paving and excavating a trench to expose the cable so that repairs can proceed,” Eskom said, adding that an estimated restoration time for the remaining affected customers is not available at this stage.
Ward 94 councillor David Foley said he has been providing regular updates to residents via community WhatsApp groups, sharing information directly from Eskom as it becomes available. Foley validated Eskom’s explanation, confirming that a piece of equipment faulted while restoration work was underway, further delaying progress.
He urged residents who are not yet part of the community groups to contact him on +27 82 902 5003 to join so they can access the latest updates. Foley said he visited the site again in the morning today and planned to return later in the afternoon after concluding a council meeting.
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“I’ll be going back to check on the teams again. I’m hopeful that electricity will be restored within the next couple of hours,” Foley said. He also appealed to residents for patience, acknowledging the frustration being experienced across the community.
“The Eskom teams have been working around the clock. When I saw them this morning, it was clear they hadn’t had proper sleep since this started. I really feel for them, and they are doing everything they can to get power back on.”
Meanwhile, residents have also raised concerns about rapid development in nearby Beverley, questioning whether Eskom’s infrastructure has been upgraded to support the growing number of residential complexes.
“We’ve lived in Lonehill for 20 years, and over the past five years, we’ve experienced electricity faults almost every month. These disruptions are no longer sustainable,” said Crous.
Eskom’s spokesperson, Daphne Mokwena, has been contacted for comment. An update will be provided once available.
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