No power month later for preschool, churches
After going more than a month without electricity, Komanibased Thistledown Preschool may go yet another couple of weeks before finally being able to disconnect their generator.
On Tuesday, municipal workers deployed to fix a faulty cable affecting the school’s power line watched idly while local businessman Sean Russell and his employees dug and pumped water from a trench because they had not brought the equipment for the job.
The cable fault has been a source of contention between Thistledown, which is paying
R200 a day to keep the lights on via a generator, and Enoch Mgijima Local (EMLM) since last month.
The Rep reported (“Komani power outages persist”, January
22) about the outage affecting
Thistledown and neighbouring churches in Ebden Street.
Having waited weeks for assistance, Thistledown manager Esther Dowling said she was shocked to find that municipal workers did not even have tools to dig when they finally arrived.
“I was told last Tuesday that they would come to fix the cable. It took 10 municipal workers with one spade and one pick two weeks to dig that hole. It is not a big hole.
“I have been fighting with them since January 8. Russell and his workers are now here to assist with the trench and cable,” said Dowling.
At the site, Russell told The Rep he was trying to help the municipality where he could.
“I was called to help pump the water from the trench so that the technicians could fix a joint. Unfortunately, when we arrived the electricians on site had no tools no picks, no spades, nothing. They cannot even work on the site.
“They have left because they cannot do anything. We had to call WSSA to assist.
“We bought clamps to try and stop the water, but the unfortunate thing is that all these properties from the preschool to the churches have not had power since January.
“We are here to assist and capacitate the electrical department in any way they need help. As a community, this is what we would like to do. We would like to join hands with the municipality as much as possible to try and sort out these scenarios,” he said.
EMLM spokesperson, Lonwabo Kowa, said the cable had been sourced and that repairs would begin on Thursday.