Blinkpan, Koornfontein, and the surrounding farm areas have been plagued with electricity problems for years, having recently gone without power for over a week at the beginning of November.

A new Eskom-operated mobile mini-substation was installed on the premises of the Komati Power Station after the previous transformer failed, which was also Eskom-operated.

The previous substation was seen as a temporary solution to combat the areas experiencing 16 days without electricity in February 2021 as a result of decaying infrastructure. Somehow, this temporary solution became permanent, remaining at the decommissioned power station for over three years.

This new installation, however, has not alleviated the burden of constant power outages weighing these communities down.

DA Councillor Stefan Smith previously told the Middelburg Observer that ‘it has been a regular occurrence for power in Blinkpan and Koornfontein to go out on Friday and only be restored on Monday’, and that this situation has not improved since the arrival of the new mini-substation.

According to Smith, the situation has compounded with the recent rainy season, “Even the slightest rainfall or a single lightning strike is enough to disrupt the power supply completely.”
A protest was staged at the Komati pay point, with fed-up residents holding signs brandishing ‘enough is enough’.

Health risks

Smith also shared with the Observer the stress and turmoil that residents in Blinkpan and Koornfontein have had to endure.

In a WhatsApp message from 18-year-old Anjé Weyers, a young woman with type-1 diabetes who resides in Blinkpan, she vented her frustration about how the lack of reliable power is causing a reduction in the effectiveness of her medication, in this case, insulin.

She wrote, “This power that’s going on and off is starting to play with my health, and I’m not the only one. We spend R10 000 a month on my insulin, and what is left of it is insulin that doesn’t work. I have to inject more units, and my sugar is still not stabilising. I’m not crying about it, I’m telling you the health risk.”

She continued, “Since the power outages, my insulin hasn’t been working correctly. I’m facing a very big health risk that could lead to disaster.”

According to Harvard Medical School, “All insulin must be stored with care to ensure that it remains safe and effective. Improper storage could result in the breakdown of insulin, affecting its ability to effectively and predictably control your blood sugar level. All insulin is sensitive to temperatures that are too high or too low. Once you receive your insulin prescription, you should store all the supplies you’ve received in the refrigerator.”

A cry for help

The Middelburg Observer also received a letter from WJ Hartman, asking for the ordeal to be resolved once and for all, “We are small communities, and we need your help urgently.”
Hartman stated that since the implementation of the new mini-substation, it has become increasingly expensive to deal with the constant on and off.

“We as a community are suffering due to freezers not being able to freeze long enough, and when power is restored, our electricity consumption increases due to all appliances having to restart their reboot processes. This is especially costly for pensioners and those living on SASSA, and this doesn’t include the appliances that keep failing from the surges, costing us more money to replace them.”

He further emphasised this point by stating, “The people who can’t afford generators are suffering due to their medication not being kept refrigerated. People on oxygen and babies that need sterilised water are being punished.”

Smith has now turned to the Steve Tshwete Municipality (STLM) to step in and offer assistance to the residents under their jurisdiction.

In a letter addressed to Executive Mayor Mhlonishwa Masilela and Acting Manager of Technical Service Lindiwe Silolo, Smith called for STLM to urgently devise a plan to grapple with the crisis these communities are facing.

• The Middelburg Observer reached out to STLM for a response to Smith’s letter, but they did not offer a reply in time for publication.

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