Blackouts strike fear into the infirm

AN ELDERLY woman sits alone in the cottage of an old age home fearing for her life each time Eskom implements rolling blackouts.

Christiana Brown*, a 70-year-old resident of Radio Cottage in Brixton, Johannesburg, suffers from multiple health complications, including lung problems, which makes it hard for her to breathe. She is heavily reliant on a nebuliser machine to ease her constant breathing problems. It has to be plugged in at all times because it does not store power.

She regularly pauses at intervals to catch her breath before continuing to speak.

The government is “failing horribly”, she believes. “We paid our taxes when we had our houses. Why can’t we live comfortably in our old age?”

She lives alone in the cottage, where her neighbour becomes her refuge when her breathing problems worsen during blackouts.

“My neighbour alerts the security, who will call an ambulance if I do not get better.

“But one day I am scared that I may not have the strength to get out of bed. It is scary.”

Brown cannot afford to buy sophisticated machines that can store power as she relies on a R1 800 a month social grant, with which she has pay rent, buy food and pay for her regular hospital trips.

“We are really having things tough. I hope somebody can do something for us. We still want to live,” she said.

The old age facility does not have a back-up generator.

In another block, Lynette Beck, 67, is also frustrated by rolling blackouts. She has suffered complete loss of sight in her left eye following an operation. She barely has sight in her right eye.

“I struggle to get around, but when the electricity is off it is 10 times worse for me. I can’t go to the kitchen or to the toilet. My life stops completely. I can’t light a candle. It is dangerous.

“I can’t see properly and if I fall asleep with the candle on it can cause a fire,” she said.

Her family may not be aware of her struggles because they have not come to visit her for a while.

“If they knew they would probably send a social worker,” she said.

*Not her real name

SIGHT-IMPAIRED Lynette Beck’s life comes to a complete halt during Eskom’s blackouts because she cannot light a candle for safety reasons. | SIMPHIWE MBOKAZI African News Agency (ANA)

AN ELDERLY woman who suffers from respiratory problems fears she won’t be able to use her nebuliser machine when she needs it most. | SIMPHIWE MBOKAZI African News Agency (ANA)