Parkrand residents were without power for several hours after an equipment failure at a substation in Plomer Street on April 11.
Reports of a threat of fire after residents noticed strange popping sounds, followed by a bright flash and a bang, prompted the City of Ekurhuleni to dispatch firefighters and technicians to the facility.
Concerned residents said they also previously noticed a persistent orange glow from the equipment at the substation.
The City of Ekurhuleni confirmed the power outage in the suburb was the result of an equipment fault due to persistent load-shedding.
However, city spokesperson Zweli Dlamini said the substation was not on fire, but there was electrical arcing on the outdoor equipment. This arcing damaged high-voltage links.
“Massive loads switched on and off on distribution networks are not designed for sustained load-shedding,” said Dlamini.
They restored the power after they discovered tampering with the electrical infrastructure, which led to a brief power supply interruption.
The ward councillor, Marius de Vos, said he received reports about the incident at the substation, which he immediately reported to the technicians who, along with firefighters, responded quickly and prevented further damage.
Responding to our question about the total cost of repairs, Dlamini said this was not yet determined.
“Our technicians must conduct tests on all associated distribution apparatus to ensure it has caused no damage that may lead to a breakdown of equipment.”
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