The meeting between residents of Davidsonville and City Power officials deadlocked when they could not reach consensus on the issue of faulty electricity boxes in the area.
City Power met with the residents on Wednesday, 22 May, after they had blockaded roads with rocks and burning tyres over the meter issue.
Read the initial article here:
https://roodepoortrecord.co.za/2019/05/21/angry-residents-blockade-entrances-and-exits-to-davidsonville/
According to residents, the power utility took out some boxes in the area without prior warning, instead of fixing them. That left residents without electricity for a number of days.
Thamsanqa Mathiso from City Power started the meeting by reiterating that the power utility does not manufacture electricity but buys it from Eskom. They need residents to pay for the service so they in turn can pay Eskom.
“We are here as City Power, not to fight with residents of Davidsonville. We are here to address the partners we have in the area and one of our mandates is to provide electricity,” said Mathiso.
“Electricity is unreliable because people do not pay. We are here to tell you that you need to pay for electricity because everyone in the City of Johannesburg pays for electricity,” he added.
The residents were urged to allow the power utility’s officials to check their meters – some of them bridged – to see if people pay for electricity or not.
Mathiso said, “People who pay for electricity are carrying all those who are not buying, and residents can assess whether that is fair or not”.
“We are providing two options to the community – one is that they allow us to come on Monday to fix the meters of those who are not buying, so they can start buying electricity. If the community does not allow us to do that, the other option is that we will go ahead and disconnect those people,” said Mathiso.
Residents were outraged by these options, stating that City Power bypassed the system. They asked for clarity on the fact that some people have been paying electricity for four years while others have not been paying at all.
Read more:
https://roodepoortrecord.co.za/2019/05/22/update-roads-leading-into-davidsonville-remain-closed/
Christebell Pienaar, the chairperson of the Davidsonville Community Forum (DCF) asked City Power to come in June, not on Monday, and start fixing the faulty meters because people will not have the money to buy electricity units.
She made a promise that the residents of Davidsonville will pay for electricity.
City Power officials welcomed questions from residents, which ranged from asking about live wires running across the streets in Princess, the debt owed by Soweto residents, to the possibility of a flat rate for unemployed people, including pensioners.
Replying to the Princess question, Mathiso said, “I am sure you do not want us to treat you the way we treat Princess. We and the police conduct monthly visits to Princess and disconnect all illegal electricity connections because they are a danger to the community and lead to the electrocution of children.
“June is not an option; if we agree with the community members, we will be here on Monday to start fixing the meters. When all of that is done, then we will come back for another community meeting to update you,” he explained.
He further stated that the City has a package for people who cannot afford electricity. The package includes 150 free units, depending on the number of people in the household.
“The City of Johannesburg is looking after the poor. Please go register for an extended social package. The City will be able to assist you,” said Mathiso.
Concluding the meeting, the Davidsonville residents did not agree to the options that were put on the table by City Power.
“The community has decided that they want the Mayor here. Four years back we were promised that all our debt would be scrapped, but now City Power is saying they will only scrap a portion of the debt. Some people are sitting with high accounts. How are they supposed to pay their balance if only a portion of it is being scrapped?” asked Pienaar.
The residents said they will only pay if City Power scraps all their debt. They promised that the roads will be blocked till the Mayor visits the area.
