DA turns up the heat on Tshwane as residents rally against relentless power cuts

DA turns up the heat on Tshwane as residents rally against relentless power cuts

For many households in Tshwane, this past festive season was marked not by rest or celebration, but by cold fridges, spoiled food and the constant anxiety of when the lights would go off again. Now, that frustration has spilled into the political arena, with the Democratic Alliance (DA) formally taking on the City of Tshwane over what it calls a sustained failure to keep the power on.

After weeks of rolling and, in some cases, near-constant outages across parts of Pretoria, the DA has announced plans to lodge a formal complaint with the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa). The move follows a city-wide petition that has already drawn the support of more than 5,400 residents.

A petition born from festive season frustration

The petition was launched last week after prolonged outages stretched from December into the new year, particularly in areas like East Lynne. According to the DA, collapsing infrastructure and slow municipal response times have left households under pressure and small businesses counting losses.

Tshwane mayoral candidate Cilliers Brink said the city is in breach of its licence conditions, which require it to provide a reliable electricity supply. “This complaint will be supported by what residents and our councillors have experienced on the ground,” Brink said, adding that the situation is increasingly untenable for working families.

‘We were without power for 16 days’

For residents like Yolande Fourie, the statistics barely scratch the surface. She says her household went without electricity for 16 days over the festive period, with power returning only briefly before cutting out again.

“When it comes back, it doesn’t stay,” she said. “You lose food, you lose money, and it’s January everyone knows how tight things already are.”

Her story echoes many shared on local WhatsApp groups and community Facebook pages, where residents have posted photos of discarded groceries and complained that even when electricity is restored, water pressure often drops, compounding daily struggles.

City points to ageing infrastructure

The City of Tshwane has acknowledged the problem, linking many of the outages in Pretoria East to a fire at the Koedoespoort substation on 26 December. MMC for Utility Services Frans Boshielo explained that while the substation itself was repaired, the incident placed strain on an ageing 15km distribution cable feeding several mini-substations.

According to Boshielo, weakened sections of the cable continue to fail under load, causing the stop-start supply residents have experienced. Repair teams and contractors, he said, have been working in the area since late December to stabilise the network.

Long-term fixes, short-term anger

Earlier this month, Tshwane mayor Nasiphi Moya announced further investment at the Wapadrand substation, part of a broader plan to stabilise electricity supply along the eastern corridor after years of infrastructure damage.

Still, for many residents, patience is wearing thin. On social media, comments welcoming upgrades are often paired with scepticism and a simple question: why did it take this long?

As the DA escalates the matter to Nersa, the dispute highlights a deeper issue facing South African cities, ageing infrastructure, tight budgets and communities increasingly unwilling to accept prolonged service failures as normal. Whether the regulator steps in remains to be seen, but for now, Tshwane’s power crisis has become a full-blown political flashpoint.