Soweto families plunged into darkness for two weeks

Six Soweto families have been left without electricity for up to two weeks after Eskom cut their power supply.

Johannesburg mayor Herman Mashaba announced that he will visit the families of Braamfischer, near Dobsonville and Orlando, on Monday.

According to Mashaba, their power was cut as part of a credit management process. He said that Eskom was insisting that Soweto residents owed the embattled power utility about R18bn.

However, he said the families proved to his office that their Eskom accounts had been fully paid.

"Despite this, these innocent families now live in darkness because the power utility has lumped them together with residents who have not paid their Eskom accounts, some for a number of years."

Mashaba is expected to demand an "immediate resolution to the crisis brought upon them by Eskom’s carelessness".

He will be accompanied by MMC for environment and infrastructure services Nico de Jager.