Harrismith power supply restored after two weeks of darkness but residents remain sceptical of service

For two weeks, Harrismith residents were without electricity because a substation broke down. It has been a disaster for many businesses and caused misery for residents.

Crucial generation components burnt out in the substation on 5 September. Power was briefly restored for two and half hours on the 12th, and finally came back up at 3:40pm on Sunday, but residents wonder how long it will last. Meanwhile, to add to the distress, Eskom has been at stage 6 for rolling blackouts nationally.

On Monday, a sizeable crowd gathered outside the municipality, chanting and toyi-toyiing. In a memo, the demonstrators said the community had lost confidence in the municipality. They demanded reimbursement for losses, service agreements governing future water and power outages, maintenance plans to prevent future failures, and that the quotations for repairs be made public and be done in a transparent manner.

The memo was received by Mutlanyane Sekete, special advisor to the mayor.

Last week, Councillor Alison Oates, DA caucus leader in the Maluti-A-Phofung Local Municipality, said that the acting municipal manager Bassie Ungerer roughly estimated the substation refit will need about R16-million.

Municipality spokesperson Thabo Kessah said a contractor was appointed on Wednesday, but the cost had not yet been fully determined.

“It is difficult at this stage to determine timelines,” he said.

This electricity substation in Harrismith, Free State, had been down since 5 September, leaving thousands of people without power. (Photo: Yamkela Mopeli)