Frustration is boiling over in the suburbs of Delarey and Whiteridge, where some residents have been without electricity since January 7, culminating in a loss of faith in local government and the upcoming elections.
The crisis is not new; the area has endured an intermittent power supply since June of last year. The situation became so dire that residents escalated the matter to the National Energy Regulator (NERSA). While some acknowledge a recent improvement, the preceding blackouts caused severe financial and personal hardship.
“I lost all the food, I lost my solar, they have to come and put a new battery,” said one elderly resident. “No shower, no bath, no cooking, nothing. So what must I do as an old lady?”
The cost of the outages is mounting. One resident revealed spending approximately R5,000 on fuel for a generator over 16 days, a daily expense of R300 to R500 just to maintain basic power. In two streets in Delarey, the blackout has persisted for three weeks.
Residents say their local councillor is aware of the challenges but provides little tangible assistance or communication. They describe a pattern of vague promises.
“All her responses are, ‘I’m busy following up. I’m busy following up. I’m busy following up. Spoke to this person,’” a resident recounted. “There’s never been a [point] to say this is happening, this is going to happen… it’s always ‘I’ll follow up and get back to you.’”
The councillor has yet to respond to allegations that subcontractors are sabotaging power infrastructure.
The electricity crisis is compounded by serious safety concerns. Residents point to a suspected hijacked hotel operating as a drug den right next to a primary school.
“We have addressed that, but nobody has come out to change that,” a resident said, noting a recent shooting occurred at the location at 11:00 in the morning.
Further illustrating the perceived neglect, residents cited a dilapidated tennis court where a domestic worker was necklaced in 2022, a case they say remains unsolved. Taking matters into their own hands, they secured a private sponsorship from a steel company to fence off the dangerous area themselves, which they say has stopped further incidents.
This combination of unresolved issues has led to widespread disillusionment with the political process ahead of local elections.
“At this point, I don’t care who is in charge,” said one resident. “For me, it is just to get the necessary help to be able to switch my light on.”
Another stated plainly, “With all the power issues and things that we are facing, I just feel that there’s no use in voting for anyone because it just doesn’t get solved… I won’t vote for no election no more.”
The SBC is awaiting an official response from the local councillor regarding the ongoing power failures and the allegations of infrastructure sabotage.