Durban — Thousands of people with breathing difficulty problems and reliant on oxygen machines are finding it hard to cope with load shedding.
One of them is Zama Mtshali, 27, of KwaDukuza who was diagnosed with lung disease in 2010. In 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic she started using an oxygen machine to assist her to breathe.
Mtshali said her biggest challenge is that during load shedding she is unable to charge her oxygen machine.
“We can be without electricity in this area for the whole day and that can be a challenge,” she said.
When the Daily News went to visit Mtshali it was evident that she was struggling and that the oxygen machine was not her only challenge.
When the Daily News spoke to her it was difficult for her to speak properly as she struggled to breathe. Her oxygen machine was placed by the stove in the kitchen. She said the hospital gives her a cylinder once a month.
Mtshali said she has a portable oxygen machine but at the moment the battery is not working. She usually uses it when she goes out of the house.
Mtshali is living with her mom and two siblings who are between the ages of 14 and 17. She relies on a social grant.
Mtshali said what could make her life better is to get oxygen that would not rely on electricity to work.
“I would love to get solar oxygen so that even when there is load shedding I would not have a problem” she said.
A neighbour, Sanele Sikhakhane, said it was sad to see Mtshali’s living conditions. He said when there is no electricity she would have to be in hospital so that she can be able to breathe.
Meanwhile residents of Wiggins, Chesterville and Bonela had to endure more than 72 hours without electricity after a cable fault was detected on Sunday. The electricity supply was switched on Wednesday, at about midday. Bonela resident Jennette Govender said they were left frustrated. Many had to empty out their fridges because food items were spoilt.
“It is truly unreal. How can people survive like this, all our things from the fridge is now damaged. That is hard-earned money. Who will compensate us for that?” she said.
eThekwini Municipality spokesperson Msawakhe Mayisela said municipal teams attended to cable faults in these areas on Tuesday. However, upon energising the cables, they faulted again. Mayisela said the teams went as far as working throughout the night so that supply is restored.
He said residents can submit their claims to [email protected]. Residents need to provide full details of the incident, reference numbers, their address and the approximate value of perishables lost. The council will then investigate the matter and respond.
“There is no guarantee that liability will be accepted though. We want to point out that all these outages are exacerbated by the ongoing load shedding which is beyond the City’s control. We therefore appeal to members of the public to bear with us as we are working very hard to restore power to all our clients,” he said.
Daily News