For the past nine days, residents of Rand Aid’s Tarentaal Village, Elphin Lodge and Inyoni Creek retirement villages have been living through a prolonged and unsettling power outage – the latest in a series of ongoing electricity supply failures affecting the National Health Laboratories, Edenvale Hospital, Sandringham Police Station and Sizwe Hospital, among others.
Yet amid the frustration and fatigue, something else has shone just as brightly as the candles and gas stoves powering daily life: An extraordinary sense of unity.
City Power has confirmed that the outage, which began last Sunday, is due to multiple cable faults on the Westfield Substation network. Technicians have been on site daily since December 2, locating and repairing faults only to uncover further failures due to ageing, deteriorated cables. As of City Power’s December 8 update, only 30% of the supply had been restored to the wider area.
Rand Aid has also remained in constant communication with Ward 81 councillor Joanne Horwitz. On Monday morning, Joanne said she would visit the affected sites later today. She said City Power yesterday encountered challenges with visibility and safety concerns, and that teams have been on site again from early this morning to discuss the issues with a view to finding solutions.
According to Joanne, City Power is aiming to fully restore power today, provided no further challenges arise. She said she is working with City Power to prioritise the complete replacement of cabling.
But while residents wait for the lights to return, the people of Rand Aid have ensured no one faces the crisis alone.
Tarentaal Village: Community at its strongest
Tarentaal Village – an independent-living rental retirement community, with many residents on limited incomes – has felt the impact most acutely. Few have private solar or inverter systems, making the past week especially challenging.
But village manager Tammy Neilson, her team, and the Tarentaal residents’ committee have worked around the clock to keep residents safe, supported and connected.
Two generators have been running daily in the village hall, providing charging stations, hot water and a central, welcoming space. Staff and volunteers have boiled kettles, provided tea, coffee and biscuits, and checked in constantly on vulnerable residents.
Rand Aid and the residents’ committee also stepped in with warm meals: Cottage pie for the entire village on Thursday, and a fully supplied boerewors braai on Friday.
One resident who requires permanent oxygen was safely taken home by his son, and management confirms that any resident needing oxygen support would immediately be accommodated at one of Rand Aid’s fully powered frail care centres, Ron Smith Care Centre or Thembalami Care Centre. Thankfully, no such assistance has been required.
“Any resident in crisis needs only to reach out via our internal communication channels, and assistance will be provided,” says Tammy.
A separate generator supplies security, CCTV, perimeter fencing and essential operations.
Photo gallery below: The Tarentaal community has rallied together in the face of adversity
Residents’ gratitude: We will get through this
Even amid the strain of days without power, many Tarentaal residents have reached out with words of gratitude and encouragement.
One resident wrote:
“To management, committee, staff and all who are helping in any way to alleviate the current situation. Thank you so much. Your assistance is greatly appreciated. We will get through this.”
Another resident shared a heartfelt note:
“To one and all during these dire times, including security staff – bless you all.”
Despite some frustrated family members contacting village management, Tammy says these messages have uplifted staff and volunteers who have worked long hours to support the village. “They remind us why we do what we do — because this is a community that truly cares for one another.”
Inyoni Creek and Elphin Lodge: Helping hands and steady communication
This spirit of solidarity extends across Rand Aid’s other villages.
Residents at Inyoni Creek and Elphin Lodge – which operate on a life-right model, and where a greater number of residents have personal back-up systems – have been better positioned to cope, but have also played an essential role in supporting neighbours and maintaining morale.
At Inyoni Creek, the generator-powered clubhouse has remained fully operational, offering hot water, cellphone charging, coffee and a running restaurant. A large communal deep freeze has allowed residents to safely store frozen food.
Manager Jenny Tonkin says, “People have really looked out for one another. The clubhouse has been a lifeline, and residents with backup systems have been incredibly generous.”
At Elphin Lodge, manager Debbie Beech says residents have demonstrated remarkable patience and understanding despite the strain.
“Our clubhouse has stayed open until 9pm, thanks to the generator powering Ron Smith Care Centre, which also keeps the Elphin admin block going,” she says. “What made such a difference was constant communication – and the fact that those with backup power immediately stepped up to help their neighbours.”
A network of care – even over weekends
Throughout the outage, various staff members have been present on the ground – including over weekends – ensuring that any resident in distress could receive immediate assistance.
Rand Aid CEO Gert Coetzee emphasises that while the organisation has invested millions in solar infrastructure at Tarentaal, it was designed to reduce long-term electricity tariffs and thus help keep rentals affordable – not as a full back-up power solution.
“Our villages are independent-living communities, not frail care centres,” Gert explains. “Residents live here because they can manage independently, and our responsibility is to keep rentals reasonable while providing safety, support and excellent services. But during this crisis, our team and residents have shown what true community means. We have done – and will continue to do – everything within our power to support every person who calls Rand Aid home.”
During a visit to the affected villages on Sunday, Gert and executive committee member Amanda Diener personally spoke with residents and staff.
Amanda says, “The resilience, kindness and patience we witnessed were remarkable. People were sharing food, sharing power, checking in on neighbours and offering help without being asked. We are deeply grateful for the community spirit that defines our villages, especially at a time like this.”
Frail care centres unaffected
Importantly, Rand Aid’s Ron Smith Care Centre has had full generator support throughout, ensuring no impact on frail care residents and services.
Looking ahead
City Power technicians continue to work on the multiple cable faults and have indicated that full restoration is expected once the remaining faults are repaired – although the network’s deteriorated infrastructure has made the process difficult and unpredictable.