“ON January 29, an electrical overload occurred on the electrical grid from the council. Being an electrical contractor myself, with the Department of Labour, I tested the voltage and found it to be 401 volts instead of 220 volts. My daughter then reported it to the Energy Department and they said they would investigate the matter (the reference number is 2344548).
Seven of my appliances, which are still in my flat, suffered damage. It took me two weeks to find out where to put in a claim with their insurance department – Insurance and Risk Management, 68 Woburn Avenue, Benoni.
On February 27, I submitted my claim with Mr Simphiwe Khumalo at Benoni, with the claim number 2/110/4/1617. I was sent a memorandum confirming my claim.
I followed up in March and was told that they were still waiting for the report from the Energy Department. Then I went there to get a report myself and they gave me a copy of a spreadsheet for that day, and told me there was no report. One of the employees there said that he remembered the incident where the substation was vandalised on January 29. I then took the copy of the spreadsheet to Mr Khumalo in Benoni. He told me that the insurance can’t use that as a report.
It is now four months later since my claim and I am still waiting. My address is 21 Jacqueline Road, Randhart.”
The EMM issued a response on the morning of May 29, reading: “The claim was rejected by the municipality’s insurers, because the incident was out of the municipality’s control as the surge occurred as a result of the theft from one of the sub stations in the area. A rejection letter has already been sent to the claimant notifying him/her about the outcomes of the claim.”
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