Durban — For the first time after 27 years, I have been subjected to cope with no electricity, for a month and counting.
This has nothing to do with load shedding or a random breakdown of the system, which the entire nation has learnt to live with.
This was a result of an unprofessional communication strategy that left my neighbours and I with broken promises and a dim festive season.
The issue of our houses still without electricity is a symbol of the country’s failure to deliver promises.
My house is among a handful in my new neighbourhood in Pietermaritzburg that were left in darkness when employees of a company contracted by Eskom to install electricity in the area, went on the end-of-the-year leave.
The company had set up a camp early this year to replace electricity that the community members who settled in the newly-developed area before us had illegally installed, apparently after power suppliers (Msunduzi Municipality and Eskom) had ignored their plea to have electricity.
It seems Eskom later realised that it was losing lots of revenue to illegally-connected electricity. Therefore, it brought in a private company to install a legal connection.
I, together with some of my neighbours, completed building our houses when the company was about to start its work. I personally asked how I could also benefit from the new electricity, and I was assured that I would definitely have electricity connected to my house before the end of the year. My neighbours, whose houses were also not connected to the illegal network, were also given the same assurance.
I spoke to a company’s manager in charge of the project who first said our new houses were not on Eskom’s map.
After we had protested about not being on the map, we were happy to see electricity poles with overhead cables being put up outside our houses.
We were then asked to hand over our ID copies to the company’s officer or camp, which we did. Then we were handed the electricity boxes which were supposed to be mounted on the wall inside the house but were not.
We were also instructed to always be at home so that whenever they decided to come around to do the connection there would be someone to open the door for them. When we asked for a specific time frame, we were told that we must always be at home as they could not say when.
I took leave from work to be available at home. I also vacated a house, which I occupied elsewhere, and moved all my belongings, including a fridge full of meat and vegetables, to the new home as I had been assured that the connection would be done soon. The neighbours who had not completed building were told to quickly put up roofs, windows and doors in at least one room where the box was to be mounted on the wall, which they did.
I was told that the connection would be completed around November 22. Our celebration for the good news was short-lived when that day passed without electricity being installed.
When we questioned this, we were told about challenges including running out of a cable and an issue with a transformer. I was later promised that the connection would be done on December 1, which also passed without connection, leaving us disappointed again.
We then protested by going to the camp to demand answers. We were given a third promise, that the connection would be done before the workers went on leave on December 15. As a result of the previous broken promises, we didn’t hold our breaths.
I wrote to the company and Eskom, and also contacted the ward councillor requesting intervention, but to our dismay no help came as workers went on holiday, leaving us, a small group of residents, in darkness and in the cold as we enter 2024.
Hans is a journalist at Independent Media.
Sunday Tribune