LIMPOPO – Residents from 14 households in Kremetart expressed frustration over poor service after Eskom left them in the dark for four full days, from Sunday until Thursday afternoon.

Despite Kremetart being one of the sections in Giyani where there is no load reduction due to a high number of residents purchasing electricity without resorting to illegal connections or theft, they were still left in the dark for four days.

“Our food in the fridges have already been spoilt. The worst part of it is that we have kids that need lights to study for their exams,” said German Mashimbye, one of the affected residents.

Seeking resolution, Mashimbye and other residents affected by the power outage visited the local Eskom office to file complaints, only to be sent from one department to another without receiving adequate assistance.

“We visited the Eskom offices on different days seeking a solution to our problem, but the service we received was inadequate. On some days, we were turned away at the gates and told that they were in a meeting. When we eventually got a chance to meet with them, we were informed that Eskom’s field employees were busy working elsewhere,” explained Mashimbye.

Although the residents eventually had their electricity restored on the fourth day, the most concerning aspect of the situation is that these customers are among the high-paying ones, adhering strictly to Eskom’s billing process and meeting their financial obligations.

This contrasts sharply with the experiences of customers in other areas, where load reduction is implemented due to a significant number of people bypassing payment through illegal means, including bridging electricity connections.

When asked about Eskom’s poor service towards clients who are supposedly high-paying customers, Eskom spokesperson Matshidiso Madzivandila did not return calls or respond to WhatsApp messages left on her phone.