Several welfare organizations in Diepsloot, Johannesburg, have had no electricity for more than a year because of illegal connections by their neighbours.
Eskom blames illicit connections have caused the transformer to break and can’t be fixed because the area is too dangerous for its technicians.
The transformer supplying the offices of the SA Depression And Anxiety Group (Sadag) and Lawyers against Abuse (LAA) broke down in May last year.
The organisations, which operate from containers in a fenced enclosure, say this has put great pressure on already stretched resources and made their work even harder.
Eskom said the transformer broke down repeatedly because of illegal connections from the nearby informal settlement in Extension 2. It was moved onto the property of the Gauteng Department of Social Development which operates an office on the block, but was damaged again.
Sadag development manager Fatima Seedat said the lack of electricity was very disruptive. “We are situated in an already overburdened and under-serviced community. The impact of no electricity does put a strain on everyone,” she said.
Seedat said they had to adapt to using noisy generators and gas heaters when it was cold.
Neighbouring Family Africa had been supplying food for Sadag clients but the lack of electricity made this difficult, she said.
Executive director of LAA, Lindsay Henson, said the full-time use of generators had pushed up its costs. Her organisation provides legal services, therapy and counselling for women and children who have experienced rape, abuse and other forms of violence.
“We operate a walk-in centre where we provide all our services to the community free of charge. Not having electricity for the past year has had a significant impact on our work,” she said.
“Generators are not meant to run continuously 50 hours a week. As a result, there have been many times when our generators have broken down and we’ve had to send them for repairs. During these times, we’ve not been able to operate at all. We have now purchased three generators that we alternate each day to stay operational,” Henson said.
“In addition to the exorbitant financial costs of running a generator 50+ hours per week, it has required significant staff time each day to maintain these generators, refuel on a daily basis, and move generators inside and outside of our centre.
“This is time that should be better spent actually doing the work of the organization – assisting those who have experienced abuse. Having these generators also creates an unnecessary safety risk for staff and for our centre from those who may want to steal the generators.”
Eskom Gauteng spokesperson Amanda Qithi blamed people in nearby homes for the breakdown of the transformer.
“In most areas within Diepsloot, communities have illegally installed their own transformers on the Eskom network, in the process damaging the electricity infrastructure and making it unsafe for Eskom technicians to operate on. The communities’ illegal operations on the Eskom network make it inoperable and unsafe,” she said.
Qithi said it was not possible to put in a dedicated transformer for the welfare offices. “Eskom’s network configuration does not allow for dedicated supply lines to paying customers, making it impractical to service them separately, which is the reason why the offices are still without electricity supply.”
Asked when the transformer would be fixed, she said: “This transformer has been fixed a number of times. We have also moved it inside the customer premises to protect it from unauthorized operations and illegal connections from the community.
“However, these illegal acts continue to happen. This area is currently classified as a red/ high-risk zone. Therefore, our operators do not work in this area as it is risky for them.”
–SL
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