City Press visits Soweto and asks residents why they don’t pay for their electricity and how they could help Eskom to recoup the R17 billion owed by the people who live in SA’s largest township.
On Wednesday morning, as load shedding hit the township of 1.3 million residents, small businesses were losing money, and children had been sent home by their teachers, who said they couldn’t teach in a blackout.
While some people City Press spoke to paid their electricity bills and knew that their nonpaying neighbours were contributing to the crisis, others were steadfast in their refusal to pay for the power they used.
I pay because we have to
Sibongile Nyathi (40), who has been selling kota in Rockville for seven years, says she pays her electricity bills because, if she doesn’t, her small business will suffer.
“I can’t live without electricity, so it is important for me to pay. I am encouraging people of Soweto to also pay f
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