Residents upset about unannounced water cuts and power outages
Residents complained that they were without electricity for nearly a week.
eMBALENHLE – Residents of Extension 15 were upset over unannounced water cuts and power outages in the area.
They said they were without water and electricity for nearly the whole of last week.
According to the residents, this was not the first time that the water and electricity were cut at the same time without any notice.
They said the municipality is quick to react if residents are at fault.
“If you miss one month and are not paying your services, they are quick to cut your electricity and send you letters from the lawyers.
“This is nonsense and we cannot stand this anymore,” said any angry resident.
Govan Mbeki Municipality said it is not true that the electricity was cut for nearly a week. They said the electricity was only cut for two days.
Council said this was due to the recent storm that damaged electricity lines and transformers.
Mr Bheki Kubheka, head of Communication and Marketing, said they cut the electricity because they were repairing damaged lines and that after Eskom had fixed the lines, the area was hit by another storm.
“This was beyond our control, but we tried our best to fix the problem promptly.
“We urge residents to bear with us as we continue to fix other electricity problems in the area.”
Mr Kubheka said the municipality has ascertained that a big part of the problem in the area is illegal connections.
He called on residents to refrain from illegal connections and report anyone involved in this act. Illegal connections are dangerous and often result in serious injury or even death.
“It also causes overloading of the network, which results in unplanned outages.”
About the water cuts, Mr Kubheka said residents must check the water shedding schedule on public notices and on the municipal website and Facebook page.
