Tsakane residents protest over days without electricity

Residents of Tsakane Extension 8, Thubelisha, in Brakpan, took to the streets on Monday and barricaded roads with rocks to protest about an ongoing electricity outage.

They said they have had no electricity since Thursday afternoon, leaving households struggling to cook, keep food cold and charge their phones and equipment.

The protest started on Friday and continued into Monday, with residents demanding a lasting solution to frequent power failures in the area.

For 23-year-old Sthokozile Zulu, the power cuts have affected her work and home life.

Zulu, who lives with her 55-year-old mother in Tsakane Extension 8, said she works from home but has been forced to take unpaid leave because she cannot charge devices.

“I can’t cook. I have to use cold water to bath and I can’t charge my work laptop and cellphone,” she said.

Zulu said the prolonged outage had forced her to throw away food stored in the fridge.

She and her mother have had to spend money on takeaway food, adding pressure to their household budget.

She estimated they had spent about R380 on food since Thursday.

On Thursday, they bought two bunny chows for R50 and a pizza for R180. On Saturday, they spent about R30 on bread and cheese, while on Sunday they bought two takeaway plates for R100.

“You’re spending money you don’t have to buy takeaways because you can’t cook,” she said.

“Imagine eating junk food three times a day. It’s not healthy.”

Residents said the problem is not new and the electricity supply in the area repeatedly trips, sometimes leaving them without power for long periods.

They want authorities to address the cause of the outages instead of repeatedly restoring the supply only for it to fail again.

Zulu said residents had not received an update on when electricity would be restored.

The lack of communication has added to their frustration, with the community calling for answers on when the problem will be fixed and what will be done to prevent further outages.

Resident Fikile Masango said having no electricity is a challenge as tenants threaten to leave.

“I have three tenants and one is speaking about leaving,” she said.

“We have not received any communication about when the electricity will be fixed.”

The publication reached out to the city of Ekurhuleni but had had no response by the time of publication. The story will be updated once received.