Power problems hurt Honeydew
ANUMBER of businesses in the Beyers Naude/Zandspruit/ Honeydew areas face closure because of the constant interruption to electricity.
This is due to illegal connections to a substation and street poles in the area close to the Zandspruit squatter camp.
Eskom has, to date, not assisted.
Some businesses who also rely on electricity to pump their boreholes for water have been without power for over 12 days and many are now considering closing their businesses and laying off staff.
The administrator of some of the properties, Arthur Deeb, said they were so desperate that they had volunteered to pay Eskom to relocate the substation onto one of their properties which is guarded 24 hours a day.
Deeb says they were also considering an urgent High Court application to force Eskom to provide power, to remove the illegal connections and to ensure regular power.
At the end of July, he said, the substation opposite a property in Beyers Naude Drive caught fire from illegal connections.
“Our security staff had to use fire extinguishers to extinguish it and the surrounding grassed area.
“Eskom was called in and later told us the electricity had been restored and that we should get in our own electrician to make sure that the fault was not on our side.
“We inspected the transformer and found that the cause was the illegal connections.
“This is extremely serious and is affecting our tenants’ abilities to trade and meet their work demands and deadlines, causing huge financial losses,” said Deeb.
The illegal cables run over 500m to and from the neighbouring Zandspruit informal settlement.
“They are not only illegal, but they are extremely dangerous and an accident waiting to happen, besides the interruption to all the businesses in the area,” he said.
Numerous approaches have been made by the area’s business owners to Eskom to no avail and they have now been forced to bring lawyers on board.
Deeb said Eskom told him many staff members were on strike so they would not be able to help.
Despite several requests for comment from Metrowatch, Eskom did not not comment on the matter.