SHERLISSA PETERS
A R15-million upgrade to electricity lines feeding the Hilton and Sweetwaters areas would begin within six weeks.
This was the assurance given by Msunduzi Municipality spokesman Brian Zuma after regular – often daily – power outages to the areas.
Hilton suffered major blackouts on Tuesday and Wednesday as well as part of yesterday.
On Tuesday, the upmarket town was plunged into darkness for the entire night.
Angela Jackson, a Hilton resident of 18 years, said the power outages had become more frequent in the past two years.
“We are fed up. We are tired of having to throw away food because it goes bad, tired of having cold showers, and tired of losing money because we cannot operate our businesses without electricity. Living in Hilton has become a nightmare.”
She said that her husband worked long shifts – and leaves home at 5am and returns at 8pm.
Dark
“Because we are constantly living in the dark, I have forgotten what my husband looks like,” Jackson joked.
Hilton business owner Cynthia Durlish said that her business would soon be in the red because of the time, stock and money she had lost owing to the power outages.
“Our lives, both personally and professionally, are being severely impacted. We pay astronomical rates to the municipality for service delivery that is shocking. It is really disturbing,” she said.
Zuma empathised with the frustration of the affected residents and said municipal officials had acknowledged the need to upgrade the supply to Hilton and other affected areas.
He said some communities had grown beyond their current connections’ capacities.
Zuma confirmed that outages to the Lincoln Meade and Scottsville suburbs this week were as a result of switches blowing up at a substation near the Golden Horse Casino.
Electricity had been restored to these areas.