RESIDENTS OF LEBANON AND BEIRUT, CITY OF TSHWANE WANT ESKOM SENIOR MANAGEMENT TO STOP EXCESSIVE POWER CUTS CAUSING UNREASONABLY LONG BLACKOUTS IN ADDITION TO LOADSHEDDING SINCE LAST YEAR!

A PETITION OF THE RESIDENTS OF LEBANON & BEIRUT (i.e WARD 12 & PART OF 19) TO ESKOM SENIOR AUTHORITIES

TO THE SENIOR MANAGEMENT OF ESKOM HEAD OFFICE: ACTING GROUP CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, CALIB CASSIM. ACTING GROUP CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, CALIB CASSIM; CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, JAN OBERHOLZER; TECHNICAL MANAGER, MARTIN PIETERSEN; CUSTOMER RELATIONS MANAGER, SIBONGILE SIBONGILE.  (Please redirect this petition if necessary to the appropriate office in accordance with your organisational protocol)

WE THE UNDERSIGNED WOULD LIKE TO BRING YOUR ATTENTION TO THE FOLLOWING PROBLEM, WITH RECOMMENDATION(S):  

We, Petitioners, being Residents of the above-stated Townships, situated in Winterveldt & falling under the Jurisdiction of Tshwane Municipality, do hereby request your Intervention with a Permanent Solution regarding an Electricity Supply Crisis we find ourselves in ever since "Early 2022".   Our families are law abiding, faithful customers of Eskom who have suffered the pain of extended periods of power outages, with the inevitable consequences of rotting food, damage to our businesses and other inconveniences. Approximately 40% of the time, after loadshedding schedules, our power does not return, leaving us in the dark for periods of between 12 to 96 hours each time, in addition to loadshedding. There’s every sign that the frequency is increasing as we go into winter.

This has been a never-ending ordeal that’s been reported to Eskom numerous times, and each time they respond with the temporal solution of reconnecting, ignoring our calls for them to address the real root of the problem.   After numerous discussions between our community leaders and Eskom, it turns out the problem is due to an overload on our power supply caused by illegal connections to our power lines by neighbouring communities. This came about when discussions between Eskom and these communities regarding power supply to them failed to bear fruit. Evidently, we the communities of Lebanon and Beirut have fallen victim to an unresolved situation between Eskom and these communities and are paying the price for a matter that has nothing to do with us. (The details of this are outlined in the next page).  

It is no exaggeration to say that serious tension and friction have developed between our community and Slovoville Residents together with "New Land Invaders next to ODI Prison" as a result. We thus call on you to nip it in the butt before it explodes, to avoid loss of lives or action taken "Post Casualties".  

Following is the intervention we request you to take without further delays please:  

1)    Our request is for Eskom to separate our power lines from those of the Slovoville and ODI communities with immediate effect. Instead, we suggest that the Lebanon and Beirut Supply Line be joined with the one from "Block A/Bokenhout", with necessary requisite upgrades. This was the case at some stage in the past and was changed to where it is now. We request that you restore us back to where we were once connected.  

2)    Alternatively, Chief Electrical Engineers should be roped in to determine the most feasible methods of separating us from these communities as they may deem appropriate.  

3)    If Eskom cannot execute this request within 10 working days (of receiving this petition), we request you to convene a meeting with us to discuss the final resolution of this matter. We’d like to have the following key stakeholders with "decision making powers" attend this meeting:

- Gauteng Premier as Shareholder Representative; 

- Eskom Provincial Leadership Head;

- North West Premier & his/her Public Works MEC (Through Gauteng Premier)  

NB: Please be informed upfront that our delegation will be accompanied by a sizable number of ordinary Residents, to picket outside that meeting as a show of support.   We assure you that accompanying Residents have no intentions whatsoever to be unruly or disruptive and/or hinder normal operations of whoever carrying out their daily duties, other than showing support for the meeting delegates.    

BACKGROUND DETAILS  

1.    All was well since the establishment of the alluded areas as far back as 1990, with sporadic individual household challenges that Eskom dealt with successfully through their internal resolution mechanisms.  

2.    Later on in the 2000s the newer development of Slovoville came up and was supplied with electricity "legally" from an area called "Nonyana".  

3.    All was well in our communities of Lebanon and Beirut during that time, having no overload issues on our supply grid because they were legally and rightfully connected.  

4.    Sometime during the year 2021, a dispute arose between Eskom and our new neighbours, the Slovoville Residents, which culminated in Eskom cutting their electricity supply.  

5.    Lebanon and Beirut Residents are not at liberty to explain the details of this dispute because we are not involved and were not a party thereof.  

6.    We also can't speak on their behalf pertaining to what happened and how it was resolved, for the same reason. We call on you "Higher Authorities" upfront not to attempt to engage us on this and advise you instead to fight your battle with Slovo people and not use us as pawns. This, we will not tolerate as it is tantamount to pitting us against our neighbours where loss of life can occur.  

The above paragraph number 6 is informed by the following, which is where our "overload challenges" began:  

7.    Sometime after Eskom & Slovoville Residents were unable to resolve their dispute, Slovo Residents decided and embarked on a mission to "connect themselves illegally" from the Lebanon supply line, using material we believe can only be sourced from Eskom and nowhere else.  

8.    We stand to be corrected on how the decision to connect illegally was arrived at by Residents of Slovo. It is possible that it was a decision of a small "clique from that area" and not of the whole Slovoville community.  

9.    It is not for us Petitioners to determine the above point made in paragraph 8, but for the powers that be to establish such.  

10.   From this point up to date, we have had to bear with overload on our Grid which has caused up great inconvenience and pain as explained above. We have pleaded repeatedly with Eskom’s local authorities to no avail as they have failed dismally to assist us.  

11.   This has resulted in crystal clear tensions and friction between ourselves & Slovoville Residents who are now joined by a new group of “land Invaders” next to ODI Prison. This situation is very delicate as tempers are running high on both sides, with Lebanon and Beirut residents hopelessly frustrated and Slovo residents throwing the blame at Eskom.

12.   We want to make you aware upfront, here and now that we are going to support "Lebanon Ward 19 Residents" to be brought back to Ward 12, where they initially belonged from Demarcations Board.  

13.   This is informed by the fact that all their needs in almost all respects, are and have always been the same as those of Ward 12. In our view, they have been left in the lurch as they were isolated from their Co-Residents of Ward 19, without taking away anything from the area's Councillor.  

Desired Resolution of the Impasse  

Our recommendations outlined above will suffice to bring resolution to this crisis. Please find attached, signatures of the Petitioners.  

NB: Compiled as Instructed by the unanimous Resolution agreed upon at a Public Meeting held on 22 May 2023, at Ngaka Maseko Sports Ground.    

Oscar Matoane Mosupye: Delegated by the Lebanon & Beirut Communities    Contact the author of the petition