Residents in Ndlovini say Eskom has ignored repeated complaints

Albertina Dingalibala, her daughter and grandchild have been without electricity for over a month. She is among hundreds of households in Ndlovini, Khayelitsha, Cape Town, who have had to resort to fires for cooking and candles for lighting.

Residents say three transformers broke down between 17 and 26 April.

GroundUp sent questions to Eskom's media office last Friday, and despite several attempts no response was received.

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Dingalibala says she has spent most of her old-age grant on paraffin.

"When my grant runs out, I collect discarded wooden planks and make fire to boil water and cook outside," she said. "We go hungry when it rains because I can't cook outside."

Dingalibala said thieves have begun stealing electrical wires because the power has been off for so long.

"I want Eskom to fix the electricity before they steal more," she said.

For Nompumelelo Nyanga, who lives with her husband and three children, the blackout has cut her off from job opportunities.

"I applied for an EPWP and a security guard job, but employers can't contact me because my phone battery is dead," she said.

Nyanga said she spends R80 a day on paraffin.

"My kids slept without eating supper last night because I had no paraffin. Because I use candles to light my shack, I worry about getting burnt at night," she said.

Residents say they have repeatedly reported the damaged transformers to Eskom to no avail. "We have been phoning and visiting Eskom offices ever since they broke down, but they have not yet fixed them," Nyanga said.

Nomalady Mthili said she had to throw away vegetables and meat she stored in the fridge. "If I buy meat, I must eat it immediately. I pay for my DSTV, but I can't watch it because of the power outage. My kids don't have food for school because I buy paraffin with their grants."