“It’s like a circus, really sad. People who are in the high ranking positions should only be placed there if they have a sense of urgency to work and deliver and are qualified to be there. Residents do not be afraid to stand you for your rights. Why must we always be punished for service provider and it’s co-workers,” said a resident on Globe Post’s LS Service Delivery WhatsApp group.
Residents have been without electricity for more than 48 hours, prompting growing outrage as faults at the Lunar substation remain unresolved.
The outage began on Sunday at around 11am and has since disrupted homes, businesses and essential daily activities. City Power technicians and contractors have been working on-site to resolve the issue, but infrastructure embedded in concrete has caused significant delays.
Residents are frustrated at the lack of communication, saying this is nothing new – they’ve been dealing with power outages for years while still paying high electricity bills. “Residents do not be afraid to stand you for your rights. Why must we always be punished for service provider and it’s co-workers,” said another resident on the group.
The resident added: “This is really frustrating, all we can do is complain and still nothing gets heared and there is no sense of urgency where needed.”
Parents say the outage has come at the worst possible time, with children currently writing exams. Many learners have been unable to study or complete schoolwork, while residents report spoilt food, difficulties storing chronic medication and unsafe night-time conditions.
Ward 120’s Councillor Puseletso Nzimande, who has been monitoring the situation on-site, told residents via WhatsApp: “City Power is still busy on the ground. After completing the connections behind KFC, they will move to Giant Castle to connect a double cable. There is currently no estimated time of restoration.”
City Power also issued an update on its official WhatsApp channel, stating: “An appointed contractor is on site and repairs are in progress. The estimated time of restoration has been set for 18:00. Further developments will be communicated once available. We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience.”
Residents say they are done with apologies. “Another day without electricity and it’s still not guaranteed it will come back today. Enough is enough!”
According to reports it is anticipated that power will be switched on this evening.
Image: Cllr Nzimande
