Phiri Cawe|Published
Khayelitsha residents who say some households have been without electricity for months have given Eskom seven working days to act, warning that children are struggling to study, families are losing food and dark street are putting people at risk.
Residents from several informal settlements marched to Eskom offices on Tuesday, October 13, demanding reliable electricity, urgent repairs and answers about when power will be restored.
They said prolonged outages and a lack of formal electricity connections had created a serious safety and humanitarian crisis.
The march was organised under the banner of Cry of the Xcluded and supported by social movements including Amadoda Aqotho, Isidima Samadoda, the Movement for Change and Social Justice.
Residents call for urgent action
The movements said their research showed that several informal settlements live without reliable electricity. Some households had allegedly gone months without power.
Residents accused Eskom of failing to provide satisfactory solutions despite repeated complaints. They said they often received reference numbers but little information about when their electricity would be restored.
Madoda Cuphe of the Alternative Information and Development Centre, which works with social movements across South Africa, said the protest formed part of efforts to build a national movement under the Cry of the Excluded banner.
The initiative aims to unite social movements from all nine provinces, strengthen their collective voice and highlight the challenges facing marginalised communities.
“Through our work with these movements, we have witnessed the harsh realities facing ordinary people, including widespread unemployment, poverty and poor service delivery,” Cuphe said.
“Reliable access to essential services such as electricity is vital for people who are already struggling to meet their basic needs.”
Outages affect safety and livelihoods
Sabelo Zekevu, chairperson of Amadoda Aqotho, said the lack of electricity had disrupted daily life, education, livelihoods and public safety.
“Residents are forced to walk through dark streets, increasing their vulnerability to crime and gender-based violence. Children struggle to study and prepare for examinations, while small businesses lose income when they cannot operate normally,” he said.
Zekevu said families also risked losing refrigerated food and other household essentials during prolonged outages.
He warned that residents relying on candles, paraffin, and other alternative energy sources faced an increased risk of shack fires. Community members conducting night patrols were also placed in danger by poorly lit streets.
“The situation is particularly concerning for survivors of gender-based violence and other vulnerable residents who may be unable to charge their phones to call for help during an emergency,” he said.
Eskom responds to complaints
Faniswa Sonjica of Eskom’s Khayelitsha customer services apologised to residents and said the utility was working to address their concerns.
Eskom sector manager Mohale Makeke said the company had made progress in resolving outstanding complaints.
Makeke promised to follow up on outstanding complaints linked to reference numbers. However, he said some matters fell under Eskom’s Electrification Planning department rather than his division.
Protesters set a seven-day deadline
The protesters called for:
- Reliable electricity supply
- Urgent repairs to faulty transformers and mini-substations
- Improved security for electrical infrastructure
- The removal of exposed wires
- Repairs to broken streetlights
- The correction of billing errors and token failures
- Better communication about maintenance, outages and restoration times
- A clear plan to electrify informal settlements
- Greater accountability from responsible authorities
- Regular progress updates
They gave Eskom seven working days to respond, saying communities needed concrete answers and meaningful action after months of frustration.