Residents in parts of Acornhoek have raised serious concerns over alleged fraudulent collection of money linked to prolonged electricity outages, with some communities left in the dark for up to two months.

According to information shared with Bushbuckridge News, villages including Powerline and Brenda in Timbavati have experienced extended power cuts, reportedly due to damaged transformers. Community members claim they were instructed to contribute money for repairs, with fees varying widely between households and businesses.

In Powerline, residents say they have been without electricity for approximately two months. Households were allegedly asked to pay R800 each, while business owners were charged R1,500. In Brenda village, which has been without power for nearly a month, residents report an initial demand of R500 per household among roughly 1,900 homes. The amount was later reduced in stages to R266, then to R100, before some residents contributed as little as R30 based on affordability.

Despite these payments, residents allege that electricity has not yet been restored. Concerns have also been raised about a lack of transparency, as no receipts were reportedly issued by those collecting the funds. Community members claim they were promised that electricity would be restored within seven days after payment, but that deadline has passed without results.

One resident expressed alarm at what they believe may be the exploitation of vulnerable households. “People are paying what little they have, but there is still no electricity. This is very concerning, especially for unemployed families,” the resident said.

It is currently unclear whether the local councillor is aware of the situation or what steps, if any, have been taken to verify the legitimacy of the collections with Eskom. Residents also indicated that no official proof or reference numbers from Eskom were provided to confirm that the funds were used for transformer repairs.

The allegations point to a potentially wider issue, with claims that several villages in the Acornhoek area may be affected.