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Shortage of Parts Causes Extended Power Outage in Boksburg

Published

6 months ago

November 1, 2023

Large parts of Boksburg have been in the dark for the third consecutive day, with the metro facing a lack of spares to repair its electricity system in the area.

The Boksburg CBD, Boksburg South, Parkrand, Parkdene, and Cinderella have been affected by the prolonged power outage caused by a cable fault on Sunday, October 29. The situation was compounded by insufficient 33KV transition cable joints in the metro’s stores.

Residents reported the initial power outage at approximately 09:00 on Sunday, attributing it to a cable fault. Emergency repairs were performed, and technicians restored power around 22:00 that day. However, it went out again about an hour later.

Also read: Northern Suburbs in Boksburg Finally Regain Power After Week-Long Outage

The metro has since secured the required material, expected to be delivered yesterday, October 31. Weather permitting, repair work will commence immediately after the delivery of the 33KV transition cable joints, estimated to take about eight hours. Some affected areas reported having their power restored last night, only to experience further outages this morning.

Frustrated residents like Chrizelda Ross expressed their exasperation over the extended power outage. She highlighted the challenges it poses, particularly for students trying to study and prepare for exams in the dark. These suburbs have faced frequent unplanned power outages, often taking hours to resolve. The metro has previously attributed these issues to cable theft, power surges, and overcurrent due to load-shedding on an electricity system ill-suited to handle such disruptions.

Ekurhuleni Finance MMC Nkululeko Dunga, speaking during a recent council meeting, stressed the city’s efforts to stabilise the system despite limited resources and to address those tampering with the power grid.

Source: Lack of spares leaves large parts of Boksburg without power for days

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