Tshwane residents face 13 days without power as cable faults delay repairs

Thirteen days without electricity has left residents in parts of Pretoria East struggling to keep food fresh, pay for alternative power and help their children prepare for exams, with the City of Tshwane still unable to confirm when supply will be restored.

Households in Meyerspark, Murrayfield, La Montagne, Willow Park Manor and surrounding areas near Kandelaar Avenue remain affected by multiple underground medium-voltage cable faults.

The outage began earlier this month after a fire at the Watloo substation affected the electricity network and tripped a cable at the Njala substation. Although power has returned to many affected areas, some residents remain without supply as repair teams work through a series of faults.

One cable fault leads to another

DA ward councillor Ben Chapman said the scale of the damage had made restoration a lengthy process, with technicians having to work through the network one section at a time.

He compared the impact of the power surge on Meyerspark’s infrastructure to an entire house having its wiring damaged.

According to Chapman, repair teams have been moving between mini-substations, testing cables and identifying additional faults as work progresses. A cable that initially appears to be functioning may lead technicians to another section where several more faults are discovered.

Chapman said replacing each cable could take around five hours, making the process far from a quick fix.

He also described how repair crews had continued working into the early hours of the morning, while he provided residents with regular updates.

In a pointed remark about the slow progress, Chapman said even a press conference by US President Donald Trump in Meyerspark would not make the restoration happen any faster.

He added that vandalism at mini-substations had created further challenges while municipal teams were busy repairing infrastructure elsewhere in the affected ward.

Residents face mounting costs and disruption

The prolonged outage has placed additional pressure on households already trying to manage daily responsibilities without electricity.

Chapman said some residents had been forced to discard food that had spoiled, while those with generators were spending thousands of rands on petrol to keep essential appliances running.

Residents without generators have fewer alternatives, leaving them particularly vulnerable to the disruption.

The outage has also affected learners preparing for their final school examinations.

“We have children writing matric who have to study in candlelight,” Chapman said.

With no confirmed restoration time, residents face continued uncertainty over when they will be able to return to normal routines.

City cannot confirm when electricity will return

City of Tshwane spokesperson Lindela Mashigo acknowledged the hardship experienced by residents who have been without electricity for more than 10 days in parts of Murrayfield and Koedoespoort.

He said that, of the initial 47 affected medium-voltage units, only one remained without power at the time of the update.

Repair teams were prioritising the remaining section, with testing crews working to locate the outstanding fault and direct technicians to the areas requiring repairs.

Mashigo explained that underground cable faults can take time to identify. Once repairs have been completed, the affected cables must also undergo testing before electricity can safely be switched back on.

The city has therefore not been able to provide a confirmed restoration time.

“We cannot yet confirm a restoration time, as this depends on locating the remaining faults, completing repairs and obtaining satisfactory test results,” Mashigo said.

Cable theft adds to infrastructure concerns

The outage has also drawn attention to the security of the city’s electricity infrastructure.

Last week, the Tshwane Metro Police Department (TMPD) arrested a man at the Waltloo electricity depot in connection with the alleged possession of stolen electricity cables, tampering with municipal infrastructure and trespassing.

TMPD spokesperson Colonel Isaac Mahamba said officers were conducting overnight patrols to protect municipal infrastructure when they noticed suspicious activity inside the depot.

After investigating, officers allegedly found the suspect in possession of electricity cables that preliminary investigations indicated belonged to the City of Tshwane.

The arrest highlights the ongoing challenge of protecting municipal infrastructure, although the information provided does not establish that this particular incident caused the current outage.

For residents in Meyerspark and surrounding suburbs, the immediate concern remains the same: electricity has been out for nearly two weeks, and the city has yet to confirm when the remaining faults will be resolved.

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Source: The Citizen