South Africa: Protesters Demand End to Power Cuts and Sewage Spills

About 100 Khayelitsha residents marched for basic services that affect daily life. Their demands included affordable, reliable electricity, faster repairs, secure transformers, cleaner streets and working drainage. They also requested streetlights, pothole repairs and skills training for young people.

The march first went to Eskom offices and then to the City of Cape Town’s Subcouncil 10 offices. Protesters wanted Eskom to repair faults within 48 hours and secure transformers within seven days. They wanted the City to fix sewage-filled drains on Dongo Street, Folokwe Street and other streets.

The organisers set deadlines for responses. They said they would march to Eskom’s Bellville office and Khayelitsha depot if Eskom did not respond by 21 October. If the City had not responded by 31 October, they planned to approach the Civic Centre, the South African Human Rights Commission and the Public Protector.

Eskom is the public electricity utility named in the article. Its responsibility concerns supplying power and repairing the equipment that delivers it. Protesters raised faulty prepaid meters, exposed transformers, cut wires and delayed electricity repairs with Eskom.

The City of Cape Town has a different municipal role. Protesters took drainage, street and lighting complaints to Subcouncil 10. They said sewage was flowing from damaged drains and also demanded potholes and missing streetlights be addressed. These are city infrastructure and public-space concerns, not Eskom electricity faults.

The distinction matters because residents must direct complaints to the body responsible for each service. Eskom’s Mohale Makeke reported a fall in outstanding work orders. Councillor Delmaine Cottee said the City memorandum would go to relevant City departments. The article does not detail every legal duty, but it clearly separates electricity complaints from municipal service complaints.

The article describes a large electricity-repair backlog in Khayelitsha. Eskom’s Khayelitsha sector manager, Mohale Makeke, said the utility had faced 6,000 open work orders in July. Each work order represented a reported fault or repair needing attention.

Makeke said Eskom was then dealing with almost 500 open work orders. That means the reported backlog had fallen by about 5,500 cases, or roughly 92% from the July figure. The article does not give an exact date for the 500 figure, only that it was the current position when Makeke spoke.

The improvement did not end residents’ concerns. Protesters said some households had been without electricity for weeks or months and had collected many reference numbers without seeing technicians. The figures show progress in Eskom’s records, while residents’ experiences show that serious unresolved faults remained.

Electricity faults can take a long time because reporting a problem does not always lead quickly to an on-site repair. Residents said Eskom staff gave them reference numbers but did not send technicians. Some callers were placed on hold until their airtime ran out. These delays leave faults open while residents keep returning or calling.

The article gives a clear example. Thandokazi Manisi said residents had piles of Eskom references, while her neighbour walked to Eskom daily for help. Manisi also said residents hired fixers to repair transformers because Eskom technicians did not come. This shifted repair costs and risks onto households.

Eskom identified another obstacle: security. Mohale Makeke said staff had previously been robbed while fixing faults without escorts. He said Eskom had added extra security and now had more than enough escort. The backlog fell from 6,000 in July to almost 500, but unresolved household cases remained.

When electricity is unavailable, households lose a basic way to cook, boil water and power essential equipment. Residents described paying neighbours for electricity or turning to paraffin. These alternatives add costs and can make ordinary household tasks more difficult.

Thandokazi Manisi said her neighbour’s electricity box did not work. Because he uses crutches, he walked to Eskom every day for help, yet was forced to use R20 of electricity daily from neighbours. Bongeka Moshani said she used paraffin after thugs cut wires serving her house in Makhaza.

Exposed or cut wires create a public danger. Moshani said live wires near her home posed a risk to children. Eskom said security problems had affected repair work, but added escorts. The article links delayed repairs with household hardship and unsafe conditions, showing why faster, secure restoration matters beyond convenience.

Sewage spills make public routes dirty, foul-smelling and difficult to use. The article reports flies, bad smells and sewage flowing from broken drains. Potholes can make streets harder to cross, while missing streetlights were raised as a concern because protesters said lighting could deter criminals.

The greatest mobility problem described affects disabled residents. Siyabulela Magwaca said people with disabilities struggled on sewage-soaked streets. Wheelchair users had to touch sewage as they moved themselves along, and it stuck to their fingers. This turns a route to homes or services into a direct contact with contaminated waste.

The article does not provide medical statistics, but it clearly describes health, dignity and safety concerns. Protesters asked the City to repair drains and potholes and install streetlights in Makhaza and other areas. If ignored, they planned to escalate their complaints to the Civic Centre, the South African Human Rights Commission and the Public Protector.

Reliable electricity, sanitation and safe streets are essential because residents depend on them for household tasks, movement and protection from hazards. The article shows the consequences when they fail: people use paraffin, buy electricity from neighbours, cross sewage-soaked streets and face live wires. These are daily service failures, not minor inconveniences.

Accountability begins with reporting problems and keeping references. Protesters described visiting Eskom and calling its centre, while organisers delivered memorandums to Eskom and the City. They set specific demands, including electricity repairs within 48 hours, transformer security within seven days, and repairs to drains, potholes and streetlights.

Residents also set escalation steps. If Eskom did not respond by 21 October, organisers planned marches to its Bellville office and Khayelitsha depot, plus complaints to the National Energy Regulator and Public Protector. If the City did not respond by 31 October, they planned to approach the Civic Centre, the South African Human Rights Commission and the Public Protector.