Frustrated Khayelitsha residents march to demand Eskom re-open service centre

Over 400 residents of Khayelitsha took to the streets on Thursday, and marched to the Eskom community service centre, demanding the power utility re-open its offices. The march, which was led by the South African National Civic Organisation (Sanco) was prompted by the closure of Eskom service centres in Khayelitsha and in Bellville early last month.

‘We buy electricity from them.
They cannot just decide to close shop.’

Residents held placards and chanted slogans, outside the gates, calling for Eskom representatives to come out. Addressing the crowds at the Eskom gates, Sanco Khayelitsha co-ordinator, Duduzile Nenemba, said, “Eskom does not see us as their customers. They decided to close their offices without consulting us as residents. We buy electricity from them, they don’t give it to us for free. They cannot just decide to close shop. Since this office has been closed, people are forced to take a taxi to Bellville and when they get there, they are told to take their issues to their councillors. That is absurd, because they [councillors] don’t have anything to do with Eskom business.”

Ward 94 councillor (ANC), Xolisa Peter said they were clueless about Eskom’s motive for closing the office and want them to re-open it immediately. “We don’t take it kindly that Eskom is failing our people. They closed without proper consultations. Eskom should engage us with whatever challenges they encounter when it comes to rendering services in Khayelitsha. Our people cannot afford the R30 taxi fare to get to Bellville. Eskom is failing the national government as well. We feel that we are being sabotaged as the people of Khayelitsha,” Peter told the protesters.

Zola Joseph, one of the residents who spoke to Elitsha during the protest, said he was glad that residents decided to get up and march against their grievances. “There are a lot of problems we are encountering with Eskom as residents of Khayelitsha. Firstly, what pains the most is the fact that when your electricity at home experiences a fault everything goes off. It makes life very hard, because you cannot put on water and yet people must take their medication. When it was raining heavily last month, some people lost electricity connectivity. We thought when they built this office, it was built to make our lives easier,” said Joseph.

He said they hope Eskom will listen to the people. “Some people depend on electricity and don’t have paraffin stoves. When a person’s electricity box is faulty, they are told to call Eskom to have their issues attended to, but this is also a daunting task. The price of electricity is also very painful. Before, I could buy electricity for the week, for R100. These days, that very electricity only lasts for two days. I spend over R2,000 a month, just on electricity alone. I hope Eskom can also meet us halfway with the pricing,” he added.

‘All my pension goes
to buying electricity’

Majola Nqaba, from Harare, said he has been having an issue with his house’s electricity since January 2024, and 8 attempts to try and seek help have borne no fruit. Electricity has at the same time become unaffordable for him. While R600 from his pension would last a month, he now spends all of it on electricity. “I resort to lighting candles, or asking neighbours to plug a cable for me to keep my house bright and for my grandkids to bathe before going to school in the morning. All the time, they promise to come, but never do, this has been happening since January,” said Nqaba. “I even charge phones with the neighbours. My councillor also is aware of this problem, but there has been no solution,” he told Elitsha.

The protesters also demanded electrification of informal settlements in Khayelitsha.

In their memorandum, which was handed over to Eskom, the marchers demand: the immediate re-opening of the Khayelitsha office to ensure residents can access necessary resources and support, immediate attention to queries and references, installation of meter boxes, and electrification of informal settlements.

“The current electricity tariffs are unaffordable for many residents in Khayelitsha and other areas, forcing them into poverty. We demand a review and reduction of these,” their memorandum reads. The memorandum also notes that, last year, Cape Town’s mayor complained that the city would lose “R500-million if the electricity tariffs were lowered by 2,5%. Interestingly, the same Mayor kept quiet about the provisional R4.5-billion surplus reported in the July 2023 financial monitoring report.”

Beauty Ngcukaitobi echoed other residents’ concerns with the poor service they receive from Eskom. “We are unhappy with Eskom. We are sent to Bellville, and even there don’t receive help. They should open this office, which was built to serve the people. We are elders who survive on social grants; we are pleading for them to decrease the tariff prices; we cannot breathe and don’t afford it,” she told Elitsha.

Eskom offers ‘pop-up offices’ instead

Trish da Silva accepted and signed the memorandum on behalf of Eskom and promised a response within 7 working days. “I am going to consult with our general manager and we will respond to your demands,” she told the marchers. During a meeting with Sanco leaders inside the Eskom offices, she emphasised that residents can rely on pop-up offices. But the Sanco representatives retorted, “Open your offices. The traffic is too much. While you’re still getting people used to this ‘pop-up’ programme, open asap.”

In a statement issued at the end of June, before closing the service office, Eskom said it is improving its customer service experience by activating pop-up offices in its supply areas. “By creating the Pop-Up Offices, customers will no longer have to travel long distances to Eskom offices in Khayelitsha and Bellville. Not only does this ease the financial burden for many who use public transport, but it also means our customers no longer must brave bad weather elements while waiting in long queues to be assisted by a customer service agent,” their statement reads.