LIMPOPO – Several families in Tswera and Vhurivhuri are raising concerns about frequent power outages that disrupt their lives.

The residents are frustrated with Eskom, citing a contractor who was supposed to install electricity for the village bridge and many homes but never returned to complete the work.

They experience outages almost daily between 05:00 and 07:00 and again from 17:00 to 19:00, with electricity interruptions affecting multiple villages beyond the initially impacted areas.

Residents have expressed their frustrations about the lack of communication from Eskom, as their calls for clarity on the outages go unanswered, they told CV.

Businesses have been hit hard, with some forced to close due to the ongoing power issues and load-shedding. The outages also lead to safety concerns, as criminals exploit the darkness, cutting cables and committing crimes in the area.

Community representative Ayon Netshamulivho explained that electricity was disconnected in 2022 and has yet to be fixed.

He shared how the ongoing disruptions are affecting daily life, forcing residents to throw out spoiled food and deal with malfunctioning appliances like refrigerators.

He also mentioned that when meter box issues were reported, the contractor promised to return but never did, leaving the community in darkness for months.

Netshamulivho told CV the outages have created an environment where crime thrives, with criminals robbing, killing, and stealing cables, while the police have been slow to respond. The community is now calling for a crime-free village.

In response, Eskom representative Vhamusanda Vho-Ntshavheni Nenguda refuted residents’ claims, stating that no complaints had been received.

He explained that the only issue he was aware of was load reduction caused by illegal connections overloading transformers.

He urged the community to report any issues directly to Eskom and warned against illegal connections. Nenguda assured residents that Eskom’s doors are always open to address concerns.