Residents in Evaton lack power due to broken promises

THE community of Evaton is still in the dark, with some residents surviving for over ten years without power or even the most basic government assistance, eighteen months after Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi pledged to end the electricity crisis.

- MASABATA MKWANANZI [e-mail]

Lesufi pledged to extend the programme to areas like Evaton, Ivory Park, and Winterveld in his 2024 State of the Province Address, announcing that 429 transformers had been delivered, 333 of which had already been installed and were powering roughly 32 000 homes.

"Through the Energy Crisis Response Plan, we partnered with Eskom and our implementing agent, City Power to deliver 429 transformers. To date, 333 have already been installed and switched on, benefitting no less than 32 000 township households.

"We have impacted the communities of Kagiso, Boiphelong, Doornkop, Orange Farm, and others. We will intensify this programme until every township and household has been legally switched on, especially Evaton, Ivory Park, Winterveld, and many other communities."

During a DA oversight visit, it was clear that Evaton residents are still reeling from years without electricity.

One of the residents, Anah Tshitshi, shared her pain over living without electricity for years, describing how she has endured harsh winters and constant breakins in the area, problems she believes are worsened by not having electricity.

"We are always experiencing breakins at night. The thugs jump over our walls to get into our houses," said Tshitshi. "As you see me now, I don't even sleep at night anymore; I sleep during the day because at night we can hear them jumping into our homes."