KUGOMPO CITY - The Eastern Cape Public Works Department appears to be in a financial crisis.
Municipalities in the province are disconnecting electricity in some of the buildings the department owns due to non-payment.
The elderly and ill living in properties the department leases are now bearing the brunt.
Padkamp is a residential area where around nine families have been renting houses the department owns for decades.
Many people who live here are pensioners, who previously worked for the provincial government.
Residents here say the Public Works Department didn't even have the courtesy to inform them that their electricity would be cut off.
Faced with uncertainty, the families say they don't know what to do anymore.
The Public Works Department told eNCA that it had recently paid R18-million in arrears owed to the municipality.
However, it says it's negotiating with the Buffalo City Metro to restore power.
The department says supply at its own building, which is just a stone's throw away from Padkamp, was also switched off.
Officials say they hope to resolve the issue and restore supply soon.
- eNCA's Ronald Masinda reports.