News

Eldos live electric cables finally sorted

Mark Olalde|Published

5/22/2013, City Power works on the power in Eldorado Park ex4 on Heathfield Crescent after resident were left without electricity. Children from Eldorado Park play with briks that they call their babies. Adrian de Kock 5/22/2013, City Power works on the power in Eldorado Park ex4 on Heathfield Crescent after resident were left without electricity. Children from Eldorado Park play with briks that they call their babies. Adrian de Kock

Johannesburg - Its real name is Willamore Courts, but here in Eldorado Ext 4 they call it “Varke Yard” - the “Pigsty”.

Bags that once contained drugs litter the ground, teens smoke dagga on the grass and graffiti tags the walls of the flats.

Among the buildings is a court in which children kick a soccer ball between litter-bin goalposts.

But the focus of the impromptu pitch is a live electricity cable strung between two buildings and left lying on the ground by City Power five months ago.

One entrance to the yard is overtaken by potholes, and cars are forced to enter by driving over the cable, fraying its layer of insulation. Residents await the first electrocution.

After The Star enquired about the matter, City Power finally sent a technician to appraise the issue, safely burying the cable and reconnecting power on Wednesday.

The issue began on December 23 when water short-circuited an underground cable that supplied power to two blocks of flats housing 17 families. Four days later, City Power installed the temporary cable, apparently a common practice if a problem cannot be immediately fixed.

Numerous calls by residents were ignored.

The fight over the hazardous cable is only one of the problems inundating the flats.

Drugs are a major problem. Community members say people continue to use drugs in the open - pupils in uniform continue to stop by for another purchase, and users continue to steal wire off houses to sell for drug money.

Another complaint from many residents is that they bought their flats in 2003 and are still waiting for official title deeds.

“It’s heartbreaking to see our children growing up like this,” said one resident.

mark.olalde@inl.co.za

The Star