Kwa-Thema – Ekurhuleni Mayor Tania Campbell confirmed that the first units of the 47 independent power producers are expected to come online this year.
This will help reduce the metro’s reliance on Eskom’s supply by 25%, shielding businesses and residents from the effects of load-shedding.
Campbell was responding to the Kwa-Thema unrest that brought the informal settlement to its knees after residents took to the streets to demand an end to an extended load reduction in the area.
Residents had to endure 12 to 18 hours without power because of two damaged transformers. This left the informal settlement without power and some areas were more severely affected than others.
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Last Thursday, the residents of Kwa-Thema took to the streets to show their frustration regarding the extended outages in the area. Last Monday, rocks and burning tyres blocked all entrances.
In a statement released by the metro on Tuesday, Campbell said more than R2b was lost to power outages.
“We are concerned about the severe damage that load-shedding, cable theft, and illegal connections are causing to the electricity infrastructure across the city, particularly to the 25 MVA transformers.
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“Due to delays caused by poor weather, the team opted to install a temporary cable to link the two substations. This will provide a parallel power supply to the affected areas to bring temporary relief while the transformer underwent repairs and testing,” she said.
Campbell added that some residents saw the community protest as an opportunity to loot shops and vandalise municipal infrastructure.
“Although we respect the freedoms and rights of residents to assemble, demonstrate, and picket, we cannot condone any acts of violence and destruction and condemn such behaviours as acts of crime,” added the Mayor.
Campbell said she is hopeful that the measures put in place by Eskom, to stabilise the grid and protect our electricity network will bring long-term relief in the area.
