Eskom

Dear Honourable Minister responsible for Eskom,

Whilst acknowledging your exceptional leadership and productivity as a cabinet Minister, I regret to inform you that the administrative operations at Eskom are severely inadequate. A more diplomatic term to describe this situation would be "dysfunctional". A less diplomatic term would probably be "Moegoes". My electricity supply was interrupted yesterday, 22 July 2025, at 9:00 a.m. Notably, my account is up to date, my neighbours have power, and there are no issues with the electrical board. I contacted Eskom via phone, navigated the automated system, and received a reference number. Subsequently, I interacted with the chatbot, which unfortunately directed me back to the call centre. For the record, the chatbot proved extremely ineffective and unintelligent. My wife then called the centre at approximately 13:00 and spoke with Francesca, who promised to escalate the issue to her manager and respond within 40 minutes, but failed to do so. As pensioners, my wife and I are particularly vulnerable, especially considering her diabetes. The prolonged power outage is compromising her medication and the food stored in our freezer. I question why pensioners like ourselves are being subjected to such hardships while it appears that Eskom executives are not taking sufficient action to address these issues. I implore you, as THE senior executive, to take a more hands-on approach and observe the challenges faced by the public. Additionally, I would like to bring to your attention that the Eskom complex in Bellville has been closed to the public. This means that customers can no longer visit the facility to report faults or access other services. I am unsure of the rationale behind this decision. The only available means of accessing Eskom services now is via the call centre, which necessitates incurring significant costs for airtime while waiting in the telephonic queue. This raises concerns about accessibility and affordability for low-income pensioners relying on state pensions. I eagerly await your prompt attention to this matter and a resolution to the issues highlighted.