South Africa: Election 2026 | Power Outage Puts Partially Blind Midvaal Woman's Safety At Risk

What the report says

A Health-e report distributed by AllAfrica says a prolonged power outage in Lakeside Estate, Midvaal, Gauteng, has left 116 households without electricity since June after a transformer failed. The outage has created particular risks for residents with disabilities and chronic health needs, including 53-year-old Moipone Mahonko, who is partially blind and has reportedly suffered burns and cuts while cooking outdoors over an open fire. She lives with three children and relies on a disability grant.

According to the article, Mahonko says the loss of power has made everyday tasks dangerous and expensive. Without a stove or reliable refrigeration, she has had to improvise cooking arrangements and sometimes rely on a nearby friend’s home to store food or prepare meals. The report also quotes another resident, an 80-year-old woman with diabetes, who says she has struggled to keep insulin properly stored and has had to seek help from solar panels installed by family members.

Ward 6 councillor Thabang Sithole told Health-e that Eskom technicians inspected the problem in June and confirmed the transformer was no longer working. He said the utility linked restoration of supply to payment by affected households, including penalties related to illegal connections. The article says the charge was reduced to R1,500 per household, payable in instalments or upfront, and that Eskom wanted at least 60% of households to pay before reconnection. The report said that threshold had not yet been met when published. The situation highlights how infrastructure failures can quickly become a health and safety issue for vulnerable residents.