Kwa-Thema – With the challenges of load-shedding in Kwa-Thema, Ward 77 Clr Thulani Dunjane submitted a list of questions to the Ekurhuleni MMC of Energy, Water and Sanitation and the MMC of Finance.
The questions were to be tabled at the ordinary council meeting set for July 27 but it had to be rescheduled.
Since the Kwa-Thema main substation burnt down in May, the community operated with a temporal arrangement for electricity supply.
Dunjane said the current transformer at Vulcania did not have the capacity to supply Kwa-Thema, particularly during the peak hours of 17:00 to 21:00.
“Unfortunately, there is no one to restore power if anything happens after 19:00.
“The Vulcania South substation does not have the necessary capacity, so there are bound to be trips because of overloads and cable faults,” he said.
Also read: UPDATE: Residents left in the dark after transformer burnt down
In the list of questions Dunjane submitted, he enquired about the transformer from the Kwa-Thema main substation that went in for repairs last April.
• It has not returned since then, and the community of Kwa-Thema was subjected to electricity outages as a result.
• The community of Ext 3 sections 24, 25, 26 and 27 in Ward 77 have operated without meters for the past 10 years, with little done to remedy the problem.
This challenge was made a priority in the Integrated Development Plan. However, according to the department, no budget was allocated to install meters for the entire Brakpan area.
In their response, the first transformer was sent to the service provider workshop for rewinding and repair.
“We are awaiting the schedule for progress inspection.
“The department has submitted an insurance claim for the rebuilding works (cables, panels, transformer and the substation building) of the Kwa-Thema main substation.
“The insurers are finalising their assessments, and once the outcomes are received, timelines can be provided.”
They explained that they knew of the challenges in Ext 3 sections 24, 25, 26 and 27 in Ward 77 resulting from overloaded capacity.
Also read: CoE urges residents of Kwa-Thema to use electricity sparingly
“This is due to the high number of illegal connections leading to the premature failure of electrical equipment.
“The electricity demand exceeds the electrical network design capacity. The energy team attended to the complaints and resolved them as soon as possible.
“There are about 2 545 active prepaid meters installed inside existing protective overhead pole top boxes, and 95% are bypassed and illegally connected.
“Numerous attempts to normalise prepaid meters were met with violent resistance by the community.”
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