Cable theft leaves Bhekuzulu in the dark
The residents feel that this is not fair on them, as this is happening at a time when the country is faced with a pandemic that thrives in cold areas.
Lolo Madonsela
Bhekuzulu Location has been suffering under constant electricity outages for quite some time now.
The residents complain that they have been subjected to living with no electricity for more than five hours almost every day.
They said this was affecting mostly those who rely on chronic medication for their survival, as they cannot take medication on an empty stomach.
The residents feel that this is not fair on them, as this is happening at a time when the country is faced with a pandemic that thrives in cold areas… and since there is no electricity, they cannot keep themselves warm, and there is no boiling water for steaming and drinking hot beverages.
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One community member said, “There are people on treatment and chronic disease patients who are supposed to take medication with food every four hours. So when we go for long periods without electricity, some days almost 14 hours, what must happen to those people?
“It is very painful to be living in such conditions; the municipality needs to come up with a plan to fix this problem permanently, not only for the time being.”
Municipal Manager Bonga Ntanzi said cable theft has become rife and that has led to continuous electricity outages in the area. The theft of cables has resurfaced. We can only respond by fixing where they cut. It’s a frustrating issue that needs community involvement to arrest it permanently. Anything we do on our part is dealing with the symptoms and not the root cause,” said Ntanzi.
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