The power utility has in recent months started cutting off power in Soweto amid reports that the expansive township owed the utility about R18 billion.
“They have disconnected my electricity … how am I then expected to make money and pay [Eskom]? Our businesses started suffering when the Maponya Mall opened in our back yard and now Eskom is here to inflict more pain … This is actually killing us because they are not willing to negotiate and look into other options such as prepaid meters to keep us going,” a dejected Mofokeng said.Self-employed all his life, he has been running the family grocery store for the past 48 years.
The tenant, Selogiloe Sekwenyane, said he had been operating the business for a month when Eskom disconnected the shops’ electricity last November.Just like Mofokeng, 37-year-old Sekwenyane’s business is suffering. “We previously put together R10 000 and pleaded with Eskom to reconnect us but they are demanding a combined sum of R50 000 as a fine because power was reconnected [illegally] after they cut it off. It is impossible to put that amount [of money] together … I mean, most of the shops have shut down as they cannot operate without power.”Mofokeng said they had presented Eskom with a proposal – to allow them to make monthly payments – and have prepaid meters installed for them.
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