By Tṧeliso Tṧosane and Matṧeliso Phulane
The Lesotho Electricity Company (LEC) has come under fire from members of the public, for frequent power outages which they describe as a nuisance and ‘poor service delivery’ by the power utility.
One of the settlements that are hounded by the ‘inexplicable and unnecessary power cuts is Ha Abia in Maseru, where residents claim the disruption is so frequent they have come to accept it as part of life.
They claim the area is constantly covered in darkness because of the power cuts that affect both households and streetlights.
“We have consistently been suffering power outages for five months. The sad thing is they are always unannounced and we fear this might damage our electrical appliances,” one of the residents of Ha Abia, Keneuoe Sootho, told thereporter.
The power is supplied by the state-owned enterprise the Lesotho Electricity Company (LEC), the utility is the major power supplier in the country.
“We live in because of the constant darkness which puts us at risk of being preyed on by criminals. These frequent power cuts damage our electrical appliances.
In response to the complaint, LEC’s information officer Makhetha Motṧoari blamed the problem on frequent maintenance of electricity transformers disabled by the heavy rains that continue to batter the country.
He advised members of the public to safeguard their properties in order to avoid destruction.
Meanwhile, widely open pole mounted circuit breakers are causing a lot of strife among residents of other settlements in Maseru.
In an interview Limakatso Tsoike of Racecourse – a village in Maseru, said: “I am worried because kids play next to that pole with an open circuit breaker box. I think it might harm them.”
Tsoike sis worried that young children might be tempted to pull out the exposed electricity wires and get electrocuted in the process.
“I plead with LEC to remove or replace these boxes. They are too risky around here place.”
Nthethe Thelingoane, an electrician from Khubetsoana, confirmed that a broken circuit breaker box has the potential to be harmful but only if the voltage inside reaches around 11,000 – the highest.”
He warned: “That overcurrent can cause an explosion and affect people passing by.“
He added that inclement weather such as heavy rainfalls can cause a short circuit if water finds its way into the uncovered circuit breaker, and this causes a power cut. Not only that, but disconnected electrical wires can cause an explosion which can be very dangerous to nearby homes.
To this, Motṧoari said: “LEC has not found the root cause why circuit breakers end up uncovered, but it might be due to strong winds or storms. Yes, the exposed electric wires can cause harm if children come into contact with them. They can also lead to a power outage.”
