The owner of a block of flats opposite Princess informal settlement, Alet Fourie alongside some of her tenants attended a meeting with City Power’s Operational Manager for the Roodepoort area, Solomon Benghu on 31 August.
The meeting was called by Benghu and a desperate Fourie had to travel all the way from Swartruggens, where she resides, in the hope of finally solving the problem. Her (paying) tenants have been without electricity for a staggering 75 days.
Over and above the fact that Fourie’s tenants have no electricity she has been billed the entire time and paid R10 000 a month for electricity. Strangely enough her bills allegedly are based on actual readings and not estimates, despite the fact that she does not have any meters to read anymore.
Although Benghu set the meeting for 10am he only arrived at 10.46am.
Fourie accused Benghu of not responding to her calls or emails. Benghu claimed that he has sent a contractor out but the tenants refuted this, saying a contractor only came out once and left “because the box was welded close”.
Fourie is going to report City Power to the Human Rights Commission (HRC) and to the National Consumer Council (NCC).
DA Councillor Gert Niemand who attended the meeting remarked that this was gross negligence and a gross violation of human rights.
Benghu then called the contractor on location and came back with the news that it would take at least another three weeks until the problem is solved. On Niemands’ demand he gave 20 August as his date of commitment, which means that by then tenants will have been without electricity for nearly a 100 days.
Fourie and the tenants said they were tired of City Power’s empty promises and one remarked that Benghu should be renamed “Solomon Promises”.
Related articles:
50 days of darkness, solitude and fear
https://www.looklocal.co.za/looklocal/content/en/roodepoort/roodepoort-news-municipal?oid=7597085&sn=Detail&pid=null&50-days-of-darkness–solitude-and-fear
