Eskom’s silence leaves ward 93 residents frustrated in darkness
Councillor Vino Reddy is asking for Eskom to restore power in many parts of his ward.
Councillor Vino Reddy of Ward 93 is frustrated and disappointed with Eskom’s lack of communication and action in addressing the prolonged power outages affecting many parts of his ward.
For six days, residents of Umoya in Sunninghill have been without electricity, with Reddy’s repeated attempts to get feedback from Eskom falling on deaf ears.
He said other areas like Witkoppen, Paulshof Extension 10, and on Leeuwkop Road have also been without power for several days.
“I’ve been dealing with Eskom issues for three weeks, and it’s infuriating. Residents are asking what I’m doing about it, but my requests are being ignored.”
Also read: Eskom plans to leave Sunninghill residents in darkness for 9 hours
Reddy believes that Eskom tends to send blanket statements that fail to address the specific issues affecting different areas.
“Pineslopes, for example, suffered severe cable faults due to heavy rains, leaving residents without power for two weeks. It was only restored yesterday.”
The councillor feels that his ward has been neglected.
“Residents are clamoring for information, which I’m struggling to get from Eskom. My requests are simple: resolve the power outages and provide estimated restoration times.”
Also read: City Power installs high mast street lights on dangerous dark Fourways intersections
Eskom’s recent statement on February 26 announcing a planned nine-hour shutdown in Sunninghill for maintenance has only added to the frustration. Despite promises to restore power by 18:30, the outage persisted, this according to Reddy.
Daphne Mokwena, the media spokesperson of the power utility, said she reached out to their team in the city and acknowledged that Reddy had also escalated his concerns to her.
“We experienced various cable faults and a mini-substation failure affecting different areas around Paulshof, Lonehill, Magaliesig, Pineslopes, Sunninghill, and Fourways.
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“Updates have been provided to our customers via social media platforms. Most areas are now restored, except for those affected by the mini-substation failure in Sunninghill. Our technicians are actively working on the replacement, and we anticipate that supply will be restored today.”
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