By Buziwe Nocuze
- Nwabisa Somdaka says her family is spending R190 a week on paraffin while also being pressured to pay R300 for electricity they cannot access.
- Ward 80 councillor Lindokhaya Payiya says he did not know residents were being charged, and says a new sub-station is planned for the area.
Families in Ramaphosa informal settlement in Philippi have had no electricity since 10 May 2026.
The transformer they were connecting to illegally exploded and left them in the dark. Now the man who connects them is demanding they pay R300 upfront before the new transformer is even installed.
Nwabisa Somdaka said the connector told residents the transformer would be replaced soon, but that payment was required now.
“He said the transformer will be replaced soon,” she said.
“We are single parents who are depending on our kids’ support grant. We are buying paraffin for a week, paying R190 a week, and on top of that he wants us to pay R300 monthly.”
Zukisani Mjindi, who survives on piece jobs, said he cannot afford it.
“The money I get from piece jobs is not enough. I won’t be able to pay the R300 he’s asking because I also need to buy food and paraffin,” Mjindi said.
He said residents asked what would happen if they paid and Eskom then installed a protected transformer. The connector told them it would not be protected and that he would find a way to connect illegally regardless.
A resident, who asked not to be named, said more than 50 households are being charged. At R300 each, that is more than R16,500 a month going into the connector’s pocket.
Scrolla.Africa has a recording of the connector telling residents they are waiting for the new transformer. In the recording he tells those who have paid that they have done well, and warns those who have not that they will not get electricity when the transformer is fixed.
Some residents have borrowed money to pay. Others were warned that if they tried to find a different connector, he would cut their cables.
Ward 80 councillor Lindokhaya Payiya said he was unaware residents were being charged.
“What I can say now is that there will be a sub-station that will be built close to the Ramaphosa area, after that the electricity will be distributed to Ramaphosa residents,” Payiya said.
Eskom had not responded to a request for comment at the time of publication.
Pictured above: Narrow pathways between shacks in Ramaphosa informal settlement, Philippi, where residents have been without electricity since 10 May 2026.
Image source: Buziwe Nocuze
