Power was restored to parts of Northmead, Brentwood Park, Farrarmere and Rynfield by 3.30pm the following day, after almost 24 hours without the utility.
However, according to some residents from Benoni North Agricultural Holdings and Rynfield, their power was still off at that time.
By June 15, the power supply was fully restored.
According to metro spokesperson Zweli Dlamini, the cause was a cable fault at a Rynfield substation, on Pretoria Road.
Dlamini said the transformer is not the same one which was engulfed in a fire at the substation on June 5.
“The current transformer in use is a substitute which was put in after the fire,” he said.
“Work is still ongoing, as the panels were also affected, but the power supply is stable at the moment.
“We are trying to get brand new material, to properly refurbish the old transformer and the control panels.”
Dlamini added that the burned-out transformer still needs to be replaced, as “it’s always necessary to have a backup”.
He explained that some areas affected by the recent power outages would receive their power from other areas’ substations, until the Rynfield substation is restored to its full capacity.
“We don’t want to rush it, we must respect the community enough to give them quality.”
According to Dlamini, the Ekurhuleni municipality will deploy additional standby personnel to respond to power cuts in winter.
“The increased demand for heating sources to keep warm as the winter temperatures drop is placing pressure on the electricity network,” he said.
Due to the system being overloaded, the electricity supply to parts of Benoni tripped at least twice shortly after it was restored on June 14.
“It’s overload; people are immediately switching on everything (when power returns), then the power keeps tripping,” said Clr Mary Goby (Ward 28).
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