Meadowlands residents demand solutions to ongoing power outages
After the continuous power outages in Soweto, the Meadowlands Task Team decided to host a meeting, aimed at bringing solutions on how service delivery can be improved in communities.
A solution-driven meeting was hosted by the Meadowlands Task Team (MTT) together with residents of Meadowlands in Zone 8 on June 16.
What was meant to be a celebration of liberation has become a fight for basic service delivery, particularly electricity.
The Meadowlands community has experienced power outages for the past few months due to the smart meter rollout.
However, even in some zones where smart meters have been installed, residents continue to be severely affected by electricity disruptions.
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MTT chairperson Bheki Malinga told Urban News that the team was established several years ago by community members who are passionate about promoting equality, particularly within local communities, and addressing social challenges.
“We are focusing on the issue of the lack of electricity. Most households have been without power for about two weeks straight. We have tried to engage with the relevant stakeholders, but there has been no positive response.
“What encourages us to continue fighting on this issue is that the majority of the people affected are elderly residents and those living with chronic illnesses. We often ask ourselves, how are they surviving?” said Malinga.
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Community elder Kelokile Matsagopane shared her concerns, saying that while the Soweto Uprising was being commemorated, it was also a sombre period for the very community that fought for freedom, as residents now find themselves fighting for basic services such as electricity.
She added that she feels defeated as elderly people continue to pass away and children are struggling to study during the examination period because of the ongoing power outages.
MTT secretary Thabiso Khaas explained that members wore black regalia to symbolise the difficult period the community is facing.
“As this is an ongoing issue and we have seen little improvement over the past few months, we have made efforts to march to Eskom headquarters as communities and submitted memorandums, yet our cries have still not been heard. We hope that this latest call for intervention will make a difference and reach the stakeholders responsible,” said Khaas.
The community remains hopeful that stakeholders will hear their grievances and restore a reliable electricity supply.
