Rabie Ridge residents protest against power outages unrelated to load-shedding

Frustrated Rabie Ridge residents took to the streets on May 10 to protest power outages that are unrelated to load-shedding and other service delivery matters.

Stones and burning tyres were used to barricade the intersection at the corner of Modderfontein and Dane routes as well as other routes.

Resident Bonga Mthembu said the protest began on the night of May 9 after not having power for the entire day while other parts of the area had power, ‘and this has been happening for almost a year’.

“As the community of Rabie Ridge, we are here to take a stand against City Power and Eskom. It is evident that in our community we are fed up with service delivery. We’ve been engaging with ward councillors — Angie Mphaho and Melody Hlatshwayo, but it looks like the officials are not hearing us,” said Mthembu.

City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena said when the outage was reported to them, they were attending to other reported outages.

“However, the community believed that the delay had to do with no pay, no service. So they started protesting, closing the roads, and burning tires,” said Mangena.

City Power had previously stated that it will no longer respond to calls for outages from defaulting customers.

“The Local Government Municipal Systems Management Act 32 of 2000, and the National Credit Act stipulate that City Power is within its right to ensure it installs prepaid meters for revenue collection on behalf of the city,” said Mangena.

During the protest, the Rabie Ridge leadership headed by Ward 80 councillor Hlatshwayo also visited the City Power Midrand Service Delivery Centre and requested a meeting with management.

The leadership was given a platform to explain their ‘burning issues’, and they explained that they left their community members protesting because of the outages in the area.

They also confirmed that one of the main reasons the community protested was because of the no pay, no service statement from the power utility.

The management explained to the leadership that the delay had nothing to do with the recent statement on non-paying customers.

“Residents need to understand what causes the outages that are not related to load-shedding in their area,” said Mangena.

“The outages are caused by overloading, which happens when load shedding is restored. Overloading is also caused by customers who use electricity without paying for It, as they misuse it, and by illegal connections from informal settlements in the area.”

The utility company also took them through a drawing sketch that shows how the network is designed and where their supply comes from.

The community leadership agreed with the management and promised to also educate the community about the importance of buying electricity and using it sparingly.

Ward councillors urge City Power to fix the destroyed substation

Wards 110 and 80 councillors Angie Mphago and Melody Hlatshwayo urge City Power and Eskom to fix the damaged substation in the area that causes power outages.

Like any resident in South Africa, Rabie Ridge residents have been experiencing power outages. However, their outages are not related to load shedding as one of the three substations that supply electricity to the area was destroyed last year.

The councillors have been in communication with entities for months regarding fixing the substation as residents experience no electricity for about a day to three once power returns from load shedding.

“One substation was destroyed last year due to a strike. I think this is why City Power is taking so long to fix it because it was destroyed by its people,” said Mphago.

Before the strike on May 10, the councillors attended a public meeting with the entities on April 25 to hear what was the solution to fixing the problem.

Though she does not condone the protest that took place on May 10, Mphago still understands the residents’ frustration as the substation should have been fixed by now.

“The unrelated to load-shedding outages affect areas such as Rabie Ridge, Kanana, Mayibuye, and Austin View which are some areas high on crime and during these outages, it gets even worse,” said Mphago.

Hlatshwayo said they have been working with other community leaders to try and resolve the issue of the third substation, and they will continue to urge the entities to respond to their concerns.

City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena said in the short term they will repair the third substation that supplies Rabie Ridge.

“In the medium to long term, the goal is to normalise the area through the installation of meters so that everyone can buy electricity,” concluded Mangena.

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