‘Power surge” the new swear word in SA

EDITOR – Electricity power cuts are wreaking havoc on our nation.

eThekwini declares that they take no responsibility for criminality committed elsewhere that results in power cuts and damage to our home appliances.

I beg the question that if eThekwini can charge the consumer a fee for water insurance, then what prevents them doing the same for these electrical outages that we experience on an ongoing basis?

We, the consumer, have now become soft targets in our own homes.

Just before new year, the area of Montclair was hit with an electrical power surge that resulted in damage to our home appliances.

I am a pensioner who now has to use my savings to account for that damage and in the case of my washing machine, the PC board for this appliance had become obsolete and therefore I had to replace my washing machine. My neighbours experienced the same kind of stress with extensive damage to many of their home appliances. We went to bed that night with a smile on our face, in readiness for the new year, only to awaken to this horror the following morning.

Nightmarish stories from the rest of the community also reached our ears, as we realised that we were not alone in our sorrow.

My advice to people is that they include the clause (insurance for lightning and electrical power surge) in their householders’ policy, as some insurance companies do not foot the bill unless this clause is included. In the meantime, the pensioner and single parent especially, pay a heavy price for the ongoing theft of copper cables that result in these power cuts. Another reason for these power cuts could be failure to maintain substations – which amounts to maladministration.

Citing vandalism statistics, it is recorded that such acts are a common occurrence in all areas of the country and something the council could and should have foreseen and addressed. We, the consumer, hereby seek justice and compensation for this ongoing dilemma and hope, too, that we can address our problems to consumer rights representative, Wendy Knowler, to help us in this fight against crime.

Linda Young

Montclair.