Approximately three weeks ago Niemand met with Solomon Benghu, some of the affected residents and the Record on site in order to try and find a solution for paying residents who are left in the dark since City Power has disconnected the power supply from the sub station opposite the settlement. City Power cited electricity theft as the reason for their decision, which Niemand sees as an inability to deal effectively with the criminal element who is currently intimidating the City and its law enforcement agencies.
One angry resident has posted a message on Niemand’s Facebook page saying “I want to put a big complaint against City Power, because our power is off since 15 of May.They did have a meeting about the outage but still we are left in the dark because City power refuses to switch on our power. I am renting a property here and now I have to suffer because they don’t want to supply power to Princess informal settlement”.
Niemand and Mann immediately took the issue up with Benghu with Niemand writing in an email that “it has been two weeks since we’ve met in Princess and still the residence have no power. What are we going to do? This can not continue”.
Mann even used stronger wording.
“I find this extremely disrespectful to us Councillors and to the residents. Please do not hide your head in the sand, this will not just go away. These are paying customers, do they not deserve to be treated like this. Please deal with this as a matter of urgency. I am very disappointed with your lack of interest in this issue,” he writes to Benghu, later adding that ”
this is still unacceptable. Why have you not taken a generator out there. Please get a generator there by tonight or I will be getting hold of 702 to report this”.
Benghu who promised initially that he will have a solution within two weeks from the meeting replied that “I am busy trying to locate a protective structure for the mini sub. I will restore supply soon. I know I said a week but I can’t get the protective structure easy. It’s a long process”.
By the time of going to press the power has still not been reconnected.
