Frustration boils over in Lynnwood Ridge after back-to-back outages
Power has finally been restored to parts of The Willows, however, residents say they are emotionally and financially drained after enduring the three-day power outage right after a nine-day water crisis.
Residents of Lynnwood Ridge in Pretoria east are at their wits’ end after enduring a three-day power outage just shortly after a nine-day water outage, leaving families frustrated.
Although power was restored on Friday afternoon, many are calling for accountability and warning that the crisis reflects deeper, systemic issues with infrastructure and governance in the metro.
Resident Helen Alpino described the past few weeks as “psychologically and financially crippling”.
“The power outage made it impossible to run a normal day,” she said.
“My food spoiled, my inverter and power banks are drained, and I haven’t been able to work. It’s a struggle to survive in an already collapsed economy.”
Alpino, who also runs an online business, said the outages brought everything to a standstill.
“I couldn’t seal or pack orders. I couldn’t heat water. Appliances, geysers – nothing worked.
“Then came the unplanned expenses. We had to buy water during the two water outages and refuel generators. It’s seriously costly.”
She added that residents witnessed “millions of litres” of water pouring into the streets from burst pipes, while repair teams were allegedly delayed due to overtime budget cuts.
Alpino said the basic needs they are paying so dearly for are simply not being met.
Reports have also emerged of widespread disruption to everyday life, including education, healthcare and the ability to care for the elderly.
“Students couldn’t study. No laptops, no lights. Elderly people in the area went days without a shower or a warm meal. Not even a cup of coffee,” she said.
She said safety and security have become major concerns, particularly during the blackout.
“Our complex’s alarm system failed. The electric gate had to be operated manually, leaving us exposed. Our electric fence didn’t work.
“There has been an increase in burglaries in the area, and we’re scared.”
According to Alpino, this has also had a severe impact on their mental health.
“We’re angry. We’re depressed. We’re afraid.”
She said they had just started recovering from a nine-day water outage when they were hit with a power cut.
Alpino added that better infrastructure and quicker response times could have prevented this.
“Feedback is poor. The mayor claims on social media that overtime cuts won’t affect service delivery, but that’s a lie.”
Another resident, Christie Rheeder, said the outages have left her feeling completely disconnected and unsafe.
“I couldn’t do my back exercises, which made it difficult to walk for the rest of the day.
“My alarm stopped working, my cellphone battery went flat, and the gate battery died. At 72, I can’t exactly climb over walls to get help.”
Rheeder believes the city has lost touch with the people it’s meant to serve.
She said the metro does not listen to residents, while they are the ones paying their salaries through taxes.
“It feels like they’re doing this out of spite.”
The metro had yet to provide comment by our time of publication.
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