The City of Tshwane team has made significant progress at Brakfontein Substation, with work on the first panel at 95% complete.
Image: Supplied/ City of Tshwane
Residents of Heuweloord suburb staged a protest on Sunday night, blocking roads with burning tyres due to ongoing power outages caused by a fire at the Brakfontein Substation on April 3.
They protested despite the City of Tshwane's plea for patience, assuring that the municipality was working diligently to repair the facility and restore power.
Member of the Mayoral Committee for Utility Services, Frans Boshielo, announced on Sunday that power had been restored to Rooihuiskraal North and Amberfield 1 and 2, with other affected areas expected to follow suit soon.
Several areas were affected by the prolonged power outages, including Heuweloord, Monavoni, Amberfield, Eldoraigne, Celtisdal, and parts of Wierdapark.
Hlabirwa Ka Madihlaba, representing the Heuweloord Residents Association in Centurion, said that residents took to the streets on Sunday to express their outrage and disappointment towards politicians who have failed to deliver on their promises to restore power.
“Initially, the DA was masquerading outside the substation with all their videos promising that power would be restored within four days, which people were okay with. Then, after that, came the Mayor of Tshwane before the State of the Capital Address, who told us that power would be restored before her address, but that failed dismally. She came to apologise and after that some areas were switched on,” he said.
He asked how the areas that received power were chosen, questioning why hospitals, businesses, or welfare centers were not prioritised as they seemed like the most critical areas to restore power to first.
“The politicians are talking different languages. We just want them to simply come to us and say it is going to take them five months, for example. Now depending on who you are asking, you are told power might be back today or tomorrow. This is frustrating and it is sowing a lack of trust in the public institutions,” he said.
He said the protest was paused to enable residents to attend to their daily routines, but it will resume on Monday evening.
Tshwane's municipal spokesperson, Lindela Mashigo, reported on Monday that the team of energy and electricity technicians is nearing completion of repairs to the damaged substation.
“The team is continuing to work around the clock to restore power despite facing significant challenges due to the severity of the damage caused to the equipment, which was custom made for the substation,” he said.
He said out of eight panels on the southern board, five have successfully passed the rigorous equipment tests as part of the commissioning process.
“This process is meant to ensure that all components function correctly and safely before the system is operationalised. The team is now attending to the three panels that failed the tests in order to address the faults on the network. Unfortunately, the team is unable to energise the five panels that are ready as work is continuing on the other three panels, meaning the entire network must be off during repairs,” he said.
Mashigo said the team is dealing with simultaneous challenges of theft on the network, which is further complicating efforts to restore power.
“For now, some areas have been energised from the substation whilst the team repairs the downstream network before power can be restored to other residents. The city apologises for the inconvenience caused and pleads for residents’ patience and cooperation during this period of interruption. Residents will be kept abreast about the latest developments,” he said.
rapula.moatshe@inl.co.za