After two weeks in the dark, Natalie Naidoo of Parkwood Estate has had it with the City of Cape Town’s “incompetent” electricians.
The mom of five says her power mysteriously switched off on 3 June and she immediately contacted the City for help as it was only her flat in the block that had no krag.
“The guys arrived on Friday and fixed it but the lights went off again shortly after they left.
“They could not even tell what was wrong with my power, they just fixed it and told me to punch in my electricity token.
“Life has been hard, my kids stayed out of school because the water is cold, they can’t wash and I can’t iron their uniforms.
“I threw food away and our takeaway business suffered. It is unfair to me as a ratepayer,” she says.
Natalie, 38, says they cannot continue relying on neighbours for hot water and basics like cooking their food.
“They City must stop sending reference numbers and transferring calls whenever we follow up,” says the gatvol mom.
Phindile Maxithi, the City’s Mayco member for climate and energy, blames it on illegal connections: “The City apologises for the inconvenience caused. These illegal actions impact service delivery to residents, communities and road users, and help is needed to stop the scourge.
“This often results in equipment damage and almost constant electricity outages in some areas, including in Parkwood.
“We also have the problem of criminals in the community deliberately switching off supply to carry out their nefarious activities in darkness.”