Prolonged power outages affect the vulnerable
In a nine-day power outage, an elderly Centurion resident's life could have been at risk had it not been for kind-hearted community members.
Residents and businesses were able to create a spark of light in the darkness with community members supporting each other as they grappled with the reality of more than a week without power.
Power was finally restored on Thursday, August 10, nine days into the outage in Wierdapark.
As the struggle intensified, businesses and residents opened their hearts to those in need of urgent assistance.
Resident Nelrea Lockem said she is very relieved that the power is restored, but worried that it would happen again.
Her mother, Joyce Maritz (84), depends on an oxygen machine 24 hours a day.
“It was very difficult,” Lockem told Rekord. “I immediately started worrying because you don’t know how long it will be off.”
Lockem said that her area experiences many outages, roughly 300 hours a year.
She said during the nine-day outage, last week, it was especially difficult as she had already bought pre-paid electricity, money they could have used for other purchases.
“If it goes off late at night, we worry because it will probably only be addressed the next morning.”
She said that many people assume that the oxygen machine that her mother uses has a built-in backup battery, but she needs to be connected to a power source.
They had previously invested in a small generator to use when there were long power outages.
“But with all these power outages, it just packed up. It just can’t take that amount of work, it wasn’t made to be on so long.”
She said that even though they do have an oxygen cylinder that they can use in emergencies, it only provides seven hours of oxygen before it needs to be refilled.
“So if you have more than a week without power, it isn’t a manageable solution.”
Lockem said that she worried about finding solutions as her mother needed to be careful around others in enclosed spaces.
“Just now someone has a bit of flu, she will catch it very quickly. She has been in hospital four times this year with pneumonia,” said Lockem.
One of her neighbours heard about this and also helped out, letting the family use his inverter.
“I am worried that it happens again. Even when we had load-shedding last night, the electricity went off at 20:00 and I thought that this could be happening again. We all ended up waiting till 22:00 to make sure the electricity came back again.”
FF+ councillor Lenor Janse van Rensburg thanked the businesses and individuals that assisted the residents.
She said that apart from the power sources, a local gym also offered residents without power, a free hot shower.
“[We] stepped in over the weekend and asked private businesses to assist residents during the power crisis,” said Janse van Rensburg.
“The FF+ is strongly opposed to the illegal strike that is holding residents hostage, and could even cost innocent people their lives.”
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