CoE assures locals of resolving power issues
The power outages are caused by many factors that the energy department constantly addresses.
The Germiston power crisis has worsened over the months.
Having electricity has become impossible, and residents are tired and frustrated.
It has become the norm for a power outage to last more than two weeks, and residents get no proper communication of the cause.
Residents claimed contractors told them they did not work overtime, leading to contractors leaving sites without completing the jobs.
GCN asked the CoE about the energy issue and what plans there were to provide a stable power supply.
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CoE spokesperson Zweli Dlamini said multiple factors caused the constant power outages.
“Germiston has a large electricity network. Ageing infrastructure, load-shedding, theft, vandalism and overloading of the network due to illegal connections and tampering contributes to outages,” said Dlamini.
He said each power outage had its technical challenges and that the city responded to outages to restore supply.
Frequently failing circuits were considered for refurbishment.
“Illegal connections are removed frequently in conjunction with the EMPD, SAPS and other stakeholders,” said Dlamini.
Dlamini said they based overtime on the basic conditions of employment.
“Contractors are used on an as-and-when-required basis to assist when there is no in-house staff capacity to address the incident.
“The internal staff are limited in terms of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act and the Occupational Health and Safety Act on the overtime worked.
“Standby teams on a rotational basis work outside normal working hours.
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“Contractors are paid in line with the approved contract for work performed after verification of work done and approval of invoices in line with the Supply Chain Management processes of the city,” explained Dlamini.
He said the city was working on the backlog of cable faults in the area.
“The power issue is being addressed in Germiston. Internal staff and appointed service providers are working to reduce the backlog,” said Dlamini.
He urged residents to regularly check for updates on power outages on digital platforms, at call centres and in media alerts.
