The DA has called on the eThekwini municipality to exempt some Durban suburbs from load-shedding after 40 hours of power outages.
Residents of Phoenix, north of Durban, and other areas were forced to dispose of hundreds of rands worth of food from their fridges and freezes because of the extended blackout.
The city said in a Facebook post it was aware of power outages in several areas including Phoenix, Ntuzuma, Waterloo and Umzinyathi.
The prolonged blackout comes as Durban battles sweltering temperatures.
The DA said in a statement on Sunday it requested an urgent meeting with the head of electricity Maxwell Mthembu and city manager Musa Mbhele.
“The purpose of this meeting is to find a long-term solution to what is clearly an ongoing electricity crisis in the city. This has caused pain and suffering for the residents, who must now dispose of food they have worked hard to obtain.
40-hour power outage for parts of Durban forces residents to dump spoiled food
Image: 123RF
The DA has called on the eThekwini municipality to exempt some Durban suburbs from load-shedding after 40 hours of power outages.
Residents of Phoenix, north of Durban, and other areas were forced to dispose of hundreds of rands worth of food from their fridges and freezes because of the extended blackout.
The city said in a Facebook post it was aware of power outages in several areas including Phoenix, Ntuzuma, Waterloo and Umzinyathi.
The prolonged blackout comes as Durban battles sweltering temperatures.
The DA said in a statement on Sunday it requested an urgent meeting with the head of electricity Maxwell Mthembu and city manager Musa Mbhele.
“The purpose of this meeting is to find a long-term solution to what is clearly an ongoing electricity crisis in the city. This has caused pain and suffering for the residents, who must now dispose of food they have worked hard to obtain.
Rolling blackouts and electricity hikes fuels calls for a national shutdown
“With the significant increase in electricity and food prices in South Africa continuing to rise and the city having no strategy for food replacement, there is a possibility that already suffering residents could face food insecurity.
“The city should immediately consider exempting Phoenix and other communities with weakened power infrastructure from load-shedding.”
The city did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
One resident said: “40 hours without electricity. It takes 40 hours to fix a cable fault. It took 24 hours to dig a trench. Weekends are supposed to be restful but if you live in Durban, it’s stressful. I am no longer angry or frustrated, I am just sad.
“All food is spoiled in the freezer and fridge. We are suffering. It’s heartbreaking, to see food thrown away and money wasted like that.”
TimesLIVE
Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.
READ MORE:
More empty load-shedding promises won’t end SA’s dark age
Load-shedding crisis forces Joburg high court to go virtual
Task team to monitor load-shedding's impact on agriculture, food and beverage sectors
'Life is overwhelming at the moment' — SA celebs' outrage at stage 6 load-shedding
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Most read
Latest Videos