Emdeni residents block roads amid blackout, accuse Eskom of neglect
The community blocked roads in protest, citing a lack of communication from Eskom and local officials. A failed underground cable is said to be the cause, with restoration timelines still unknown.
Residents of Emdeni say they are irritated and frustrated by the electricity crisis they are currently facing.
This comes after residents of Ward 130 embarked on a protest action closing the Emdeni main road on July 10, demanding that their electricity be restored.
According to an affected resident, Jabulisile Tshabalala, they have been experiencing unstable electricity for more than two weeks, but what has particularly upset them is that their power has been off since July 9, and as of today, they are still in the dark.
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“We are currently without electricity, and what makes the situation even worse is the complete lack of communication from the relevant authorities.
We haven’t received any updates on what caused the outage or when power will be restored.
“Tragically, someone in our community has just lost their life because they relied on oxygen to breathe, something that cannot function without electricity,” said Tshabalala.
During the protest, Naledi police tried to intervene, but the community didn’t want to comply.
At the scene, residents declared that they would not leave and would continue protesting until their electricity is restored and their demands are met.
Speaking with the community, acting councillor for the ward, Thapelo Radebe, said that in information received from Eskom, one cable that was carrying the entire load has failed. They are waiting for a test van, but the time for restoration is still unknown.
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“Currently, the community is using only one cable to get electricity, and that cable becomes overloaded, making it difficult to supply stable electricity.
Eskom is trying to fix the second cable, but because it is under a tree, it is difficult for Eskom to redirect it.
“We have been experiencing consistent power outages because we are relying on just one cable, which struggles to supply electricity for all of us,” said Radebe.
Radebe added that he will give an update once Eskom’s team starts working, and he has requested that the second cable be fixed as well, because it will be useless to fix only one cable.
