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Weltevreden Park, a Roodepoort suburb, has suffered constant power outages since May 2021. These outages have recently continued after the mini substation on Christiaan de Wet exploded.
The power outages tend to last between five and seven days, but sometimes last even longer. When lights are out criminals usually pounce, for this reason there is a reported rise in crime in the area. Traffic-related incidents and general dysfunction are also concerns of the locals at Weltevreden.
According to one resident Veronica Zackay, who stays in Ebony Place Complex, the major cause of these power outages stems from a “lack of communication between councillors and the City of Johannesburg Depot Management, a lack of urgency and importance on the job being done correctly and properly”.
Another resident, Toni Jones said, “We can’t keep having the uncertainty if we will have electricity or not. It’s a guessing game.” Both have been victims of prolonged and excessive power outages.
The power outage in May 2021 was so severe that residents from Honeydew mobilised and marched to Christiaan De Wet substations, demanding answers and an estimated time of completion as to when the electricity would be restored but to no avail.
This article was submitted on 20 November 2024. You may republish this article, so long as you credit the authors and Karibu! Online (www.Karibu.org.za), and do not change the text. Please include a link back to the original article.
