Residents of Erasmia are once again up in arms, after darkness descended on their homes this past Wednesday night at around 9:30pm, with the area still in darkness at the time of going to press, on Thursday evening.
According to a council official, a transformer exploded at the mini substation on the corner of Barbara Coetzee and Leisching Street. Minutes after the transformer blew, a circuit breaker tripped at the Claudius substation on Cuprene Street.
Speaking to the Laudium Sun, disgruntled Leisching Street resident, Jithen Singh (49) blamed the substation problems on the lack of maintenance that was exacerbated by the pouring rain a few hours before.
"It's obvious that the blow out was because these mini substations are not maintained by the council. They wait for something major to happen and then kick into gear. Now our homes and streets have been left in darkness. Our safety now comes into question because criminals may use the darkness to their advantage and break into homes and vehicles. We've had to empty out our fridges and freezers so that our food doesn't spoil and have taken the food to my brother's home in Wespark. The council sent out a message saying that it is a major problem and that at least two days would be needed to sort out the substation. We residents are left to suffer during this time," Jithen fumed.
"The council needs to come up with better contingency plans to handle issues like these so that the residents don't have to be put through this inconvenience," the Leisching Street resident continued.
Another riled up Party Street resident, Owais Gafoor (41) said that the blown substation has caused a lot of issues for him and his family.
"Our home security system is offline and this leaves us open to attack by criminals. We have not been given a definite time frame for the repairs and this is very frustrating because it seems that it will take days before power is restored to our homes. Also, there is the issue of our appliances. There was a surge of electricity and I'm sure that it is possible that some of our electrical items might have been damaged. The council needs to prioritize situations like this and not take their time in fixing the substation." Owais said.
Moeder Street resident, Manika Pillay (28) said that the power outage has affected her business, as she runs a beauty salon from her home.
"Due to the power outage I have lost many customers and have had to postpone appointments, because we have not been informed when the power will be back. This has really affected my income and I can only hope that the power will be restored soon."
Councilor Mahomed Essop told the Laudium Sun that technicians were fixing the blown transformer but the repairs that are being undertaken are major and as such no definite time frame can be given.
Jithen Singh says the substations are not maintained properly by the council.
Owais Gafoor fears his home might be susceptible to robberies with the power outage.
The mini substation, that was burnt out, on the corner of Barbara Coetzee and Leisching Street, surrounded by overgrown vegetation.
Beautician, Manika Pillay lost clients due to the power outage.