Table View and surrounding residents are up in arms after they were plunged into a power outage for several days on Monday while Eskom performed planned maintenance.
Eskom announced its implementation of a 21-hour power outage in Table View, Rivergate Business Park, Parklands, and surrounding areas over three days from Monday 17 February.
The power utility said it will be conducting planned maintenance on the network, resulting in power supply interruptions daily.
Earlier this month, Eskom also conducted planned maintenance in Table View, Parklands, Milnerton and surrounding areas.
“Eskom in the Western Cape conducts planned maintenance on the distribution electricity network across the province as part of its maintenance plan. Maintenance needs to be conducted to service the infrastructure to ensure the safety, reliability, and efficiency of the electricity supply,” Eskom said in a recent statement.
Fumed
Janice Erasmus, a resident in Table View, says she is at her wits end with Eskom and their continuous power outages.
“The rest of the suburbs in other parts of Cape Town are so fortunate to have the City as their supplier. We have been fighting with Eskom to rather let us switch over to the City’s electricity grid,” she says.
She adds that as a mother working from home, this power outage will impact her daily routine.
“I do not have access to a generator and had to make use of alternative methods to charge my laptop and have internet access,” she says.
“Residents and businesses are suffering and among the concerns are that as alarm systems require electricity the residents are now vulnerable to criminals.”
Last year in February, residents across Ward 107 (covering Sandown, Parklands and parts of Table View) were plunged into darkness for up to three days due to another power outage.
The areas affected are supplied by Eskom Direct, which means the City of Cape Town has no influence on their electricity supply.
TygerBurger reported on the City’s demand to transfer Eskom supplied areas over to them. Last year, talks had progressed to an advanced stage, with the City preparing to appoint consultants to chart the path toward taking over Eskom supply areas in Cape Town.
Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has vowed not to give in, and is calling on residents to sign a petition backing the City taking over the electricity service in Eskom supply areas.
Petition
In a letter to Hill-Lewis, Eskom General Manager Mbulelo Yedwa indicates that the request for the transfer of supply areas to the City “was discussed and unfortunately it was not supported by Eskom’s executive. Further, it was concluded that it is in Eskom’s best interest not to transfer or sell any assets due to the operational requirements of the Eskom business.”
The City’s long-term intention is to distribute electricity directly to all customers in Cape Town, including those currently in Eskom supply areas.
This goal forms part of Cape Town’s Energy Strategy, which charts the long-term path to 2050 as part of “a great transition from a centralised supply of unreliable, costly and fossil fuel based Eskom energy, to an increasingly decentralised supply of reliable, cost-effective, carbon neutral energy from a diverse range of suppliers”, Hill-Lewis said.
Currently, around two-thirds of Cape Town’s electricity customers are served directly by the City, with the remaining third of customers served by Eskom.
The City intends for any adjustments to supply areas to undergo full financial and technical feasibility analysis to ensure affordability and quality of service for all customers.
To show support for the City takeover of electricity services to residents in Eskom supply areas, visit: https://www.change.org/p/support-city-of-cape-town-s-takeover-of-eskom-supply-area-service
