City Power and Braam residences again leave students concerned about food security.
- Power outages disturb students, who are unable to charge or cook for days.
- Student groceries have gone to waste with fridges not working.
- SRC responded by giving out lunch to students.
The lights may have flickered on briefly, but power outages are back. The lights have been on and off for almost a fortnight.
Braamfontein and surrounding areas, including parts of Randburg, Hillbrow and Melville, first went dark on April 22. The cause, a ‘trip and flashed MSS’, which is a flash of light caused by electrical discharges from damaged electrical equipment, according to City Power.
Ward councillor of region 60, Sihle Nguse, said, “They are trying their level best, but this work requires everyone to be hands-on.”
He emphasised how law enforcement and student housing institutions need to play their part in assisting students during this time.
The outage has affected students’ routines significantly, as City Power technicians work on restoring electricity. Many are unable to cook, while food has spoiled and internet access is intermittent.
Lesedi Magonare, a third-year Film and Television student, said the outage comes with financial costs. “Having to resort to takeout and fast food […], my finances were messed up; I overspent in that category.”
In response to students’ frustrations, the Wits Student Representative Council (SRC) partnered with Nguse to provide relief. Some 356 sandwiches were given to South Point and some on-campus residence students.
“They [students] sent emails and messages telling us about how they are affected by the power outage, and they really want us to do something about that situation,” said SRC deputy president, Boipelo Settspu.
City Power released 13 public statements on April 29 alone to update and assure residents in affected areas that the issue is being worked on.
Despite these public statements, the power outage in Braamfontein resumes. “I submitted an assignment late because there was no way to charge my laptop, and the computer labs as well were not working,” Magonare added in frustration.
“Now we have to readjust our schedules to charge equipment. It was a bit inconvenient,” added Magonare, counting 8 days without electricity.”
Although power outages in Braamfontein are not new, this ongoing issue continues to leave students vulnerable to infrastructure failures.
FEATURED IMAGE: An image of a student without lights and an uncharged laptop during the power outage. Photo by: Kamvelihle Mtwazi
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