ELECTION 2026 | Power outage puts partially blind Midvaal woman’s safety at risk
Partially blind Moipone Mahonko, 53, faces dangers while cooking over an open fire amid prolonged electricity outages in Midvaal, Gauteng.
By Lerato Kodisang, Health-e News
53-year-old Moipone Mahonko, who is partially blind, has suffered burns and cuts while cooking over an open fire since a prolonged electricity outage left 116 households in Lakeside Estate in Midvaal, Gauteng without power for more than four months after a transformer broke down.
Mahonko, who survives on a disability grant, lives with her three children, aged 31, 19 and nine.
“Before we lost electricity, I was not struggling because I could turn on the stove and cook or make tea. But now I struggle,” she says.
“Before it was permanently damaged in June, this transformer used to trip a lot. As a collective, we would contribute money between R30, R50 and R100 to hire and pay someone in the community to switch the power on.”
Cooking has become dangerous
Mahonko says she now has to cook outside using an open fire and at times unintentionally throws empty aerosol canisters on the fire when firewood runs out.
“I rely on feeling things. Sometimes there is no wood to make a fire, so I use bottles. If I use a bottle that has a lid, the bottle can explode and I can be injured,” says Mahonko.
“When I try to fix my fire, I cut myself or get burnt because I can’t see clearly. Sometimes I miss a step and fall.”
In September she narrowly escaped a fire inside her home after a candle fell onto her bed. “The candle fell on my duvet and I wasn’t seeing it. Luckily, my nine-year-old saw it and was able to put the fire out.”
Mahonko also has a gas stove that the family sometimes uses to cook food. “My gas cylinder is damaged, so my children assist me to open it with a knife.”
Mahonko says she once tried to open the cylinder herself but cut her hand.
Power outage places financial strain on residents
Without electricity, Mahonko says she can’t refrigerate food and relies on a friend who lives in another block who has power supply. “I have to cross the street to store food at my friend’s house. When my gas is finished, I also go and cook at my friend’s house,” she says.
“Without the fridge, I spend a lot buying relish more often, and it is expensive to live from hand to mouth.”
Another resident, 80-year-old Gogo Monape, who has diabetes, says the electricity outage has affected her ability to store insulin.
“I struggle with storing my insulin because of the electricity outage. I am frustrated, and my health is at risk because my medication needs refrigeration. My daughter even resorted to installing solar panels so that I can store my insulin in the fridge.”
Residents face R1,500 penalty
Ward 6 councillor Thabang Sithole says in June, Eskom sent technicians to investigate the problem and confirmed that the transformer was no longer working.
He says Eskom told him that the transformer would have been repaired and new meter boxes installed if the affected households had been paying their electricity bills.
“Due to illegal connections, Eskom wanted to penalise residents R6,000 per household.”
Sithole says he negotiated a lower penalty. “Eskom reduced the penalty to R1,500 per household and agreed that payment could be made in instalments or in full.”
He says Eskom requires at least 60% of the 116 households to pay before electricity can be restored. “On 20 October, I received feedback from Eskom that less than 60% of residents had paid the R1,500.”
Mahonko is among the residents who are unable to pay the penalty fee. “I have not attempted to pay it, my grant money is never enough. I need help with electricity, I am really struggling.”
Health-e News sent Eskom questions about the transformer failure, illegal connection penalties and expected restoration date, but had not received a response by the time of publication.