City Power awaits request for suspension of night-time load shedding in Alex
City Power says it has not received an official request from either the Police Ministry or the community of Alexandra to suspend load shedding at night.
Police Minister Bheki Cele had made the suggestion during a crime summit in the violence-torn township on Sunday.
Cele’s visit followed the killing of six people, including Alex FM employee Joshua Mbatha, who was gunned down during the rolling power cuts on Thursday night.
“Maybe during the day it’s better, but at night allow the communities to have lights and allow the security enforcement agencies to be able to respond," said Cele.
Residents said they have become easy targets for criminals during blackouts.
The power utility’s spokesperson Isaac Mangena says while they are able to temporarily suspend load shedding, it is not a permanent solution.
"It will be difficult, but it is doable because load shedding is driven by Eskom and also decided based on capacity challenges based on that day. The regulations do allow the supply authority to engage with the community on request.
"The exclusion must be requested with the reasons stated why they deserved such an exemption and the duration because it will not be indefinite. This happened in Eldorado Park this year in April after their substation caught fire because they did not have electricity for a long time. They have been returned to the load shedding schedule this past weekend.”
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