Over 100 families in the Shabalala Trust near Hazyview, Mpumalanga, have been without electricity for six months after a transformer failed in December 2024. Residents claim Eskom is demanding R65,000 to replace the unit—an amount they say they already paid last year without any results.
Community member Bongani Mnyokane says repeated attempts to get assistance from Eskom have been ignored, with officials allegedly directing them back to a radio station they previously approached for help.
Eskom, however, maintains that the transformer was tampered with, and affected residents must pay tampering fines before a replacement is considered. Spokesperson Daphne Mokoena said audits are underway to determine if the same residents were previously found guilty of meter bypassing, and further investigations are ongoing.