Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Suné Payne
Published on 2024-02-20 10:06:28
Residents of the Central Karoo, a region in both the Western and Northern Cape of South Africa, have faced an arduous journey in recent weeks. Severe gale-force winds and heavy rain caused widespread damage to key power lines, leaving residents and business owners without electricity for almost two weeks. This forced the affected towns to rely on generators, causing great hardship for many in the region.
The outage began on the evening of Saturday, 3 February and lasted until approximately 8am on Thursday, 15 February – impacting towns from Sutherland in the Northern Cape down to Ladismith in the Western Cape. As a result of the damage to the Laingsburg/Touwsrivier 132kV power lines, several towns endured power outages, including Sutherland, Roggeveld, Laingsburg, Ladismith, Leeu Gamka, Swartberg, Merville, Matjiesfontein, Prince Albert, and Fraserburg.
The situation proved to be a significant challenge for the residents and businesses in the area. Many faced severe struggles due to the loss of power. The impact was particularly felt by those living on fixed incomes, such as pensioner Johnie Frieslaar, who was forced to sell his bakkie in order to pay his bills after losing frozen food and essentials during the outage.
In response to the dire situation, relief efforts were initiated. Gift of the Givers provided food and water to affected families and hospitals, while the provincial government supplied generators and established power stations for residents to charge essential devices such as cell phones and laptops. Though estimates of those affected were not confirmed, the provincial social development department anticipated that around 20,000 individuals would benefit from the food relief program.
The outage led to many hardships and inconveniences. Doreen Freeman, who lives in Ladismith, had to discard meat from a slaughtered pig and had to manage without essential electrical appliances such as refrigeration. Jan-Dirk Brak, a local pharmacy owner, explained how he used dry ice and generators to maintain adequate temperatures for medications and provided a space for people to charge their phones. Business owner Feroj Hossain also experienced significant financial losses while trying to meet community needs and keep his shop operating during the outage.
Despite the hardship, the community of Ladismith banded together and supported one another throughout the outage. The resilient spirit of the residents was evident as businesses sought to maintain services and support the needs of the community. However, many residents voiced concerns over the lack of communication from the local municipality, which exacerbated an already difficult situation.
Mayor Jeffrey Donson acknowledged that the situation caused significant financial strain on residents and the municipality, expressing dissatisfaction with the lack of effective communication. Although relief efforts were provided by government and private donors, the slow response and lack of coordination added additional burden and frustration to the affected communities.
The Central Karoo outage is a vivid example of how natural disasters can deeply impact the daily lives of people in a region. However, it also demonstrates the resilience and adaptability of communities in overcoming such challenges. It is a reminder that addressing critical infrastructure needs and providing effective disaster response and communication are essential for supporting and protecting the well-being of residents in times of crisis.
Read the original article on Daily Maverick
