Waterkloof residents left in the dark as power outages persist
Frustration is mounting in Waterkloof as residents face an extended power outage, with no clear answers from the municipality. Business owners are losing hundreds, while residents are left without basic services, as the local electricity department fails to restore power and provide updates.
Waterkloof residents are facing an ongoing power crisis that has stretched for over a week, leaving many in the dark with no clear timeline of being resolved.
The power outage, which first began on April 3, briefly returned the following day, only for the power to go out again on April 6.
According to residents, since then, the area has been without power, with no clear indication of when the situation will improve.
The outage has affected several key components of Waterkloof’s electrical infrastructure, leaving large sections of the area without power.
The affected zones span major streets and intersections, including Victoria/Long, Sidney/Edward, and the Golf Club.
One of the frustrated residents, JP Ronquest, said the municipality does not consider residents.
“Power went off last Thursday, returned the following day, and then went out again on Sunday morning,” he said.
“And since then, nothing. We are not getting any updates from the metro; even the councillors are not being told what’s going on.”
Ronquest said when officials finally responded on April 9, they gave exposed wires as the reason why they could not attend to the outage.
“That was a lie,” Ronquest said.
“The picture they sent us didn’t even show our area. We’re being fed lies while we suffer in the dark. The mayor knows about the situation, but nothing has been done to address it.”
Ronaldie Thurley, who owns a business in Waterkloof, said the ongoing outages have cost her thousands, as her customers are left eating in the dark.
She added that she has been forced to spend money on ice to preserve the perishable stock.
“No one is telling us what’s going on,” Thurley said.
“We’re trying to keep our businesses afloat, but with no power, we’re losing money every day.”
In addition to the prolonged power outage affecting Waterkloof, Councillor Shane Maas said the situation has worsened with further disruptions.
“There are now additional area outages, and on Tuesday night, three new outages occurred.
“To make matters worse, some residents near Carina [Street] have reported a lack of water, likely due to a major pipe burst on Rigel Avenue.”
Maas said the performance of the Electricity Department continues to deteriorate.
He added that this has been compounded by the new administration’s adjustment budget, which diverted funds away from essential service delivery towards vanity projects that only benefit the politically connected, leaving the broader community to suffer.
“I’ve taken the usual steps to report the outages to the relevant authorities, but the situation remains unresolved.”
Image: Supplied
According to Maas, the systems that worked under Mayor Cilliers Brink’s administration are no longer operational.
He explained that outage-tracking systems are not being updated, and reports that once confirmed the department’s awareness of outages are no longer being produced.
“This is making it harder to identify and respond to new issues in real-time,” he said.
Maas said there is no estimated time of arrival for repairs.
He advised residents to take measures to preserve frozen foods.
The metro had yet to provide comment by the time of publication.
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