Power outages anger residents
“Over 80 per cent of the outages in the South of Johannesburg are as a result of network overload, caused by back-yard shacks connected illegally into the network, through bypassed meters.
RESIDENTS of Glenvista, Mulbarton, Bassonia, Glenanda, Mondeor and Winchester Hills have been left powerless after frequent power outages recently.
A resident who lives in a complex, Bassonia Sun, on Comaro Street, Bassonia, said, “We are experiencing power outages almost every day. On Wednesday, July 6, during the evening we had no power for three hours and the previous night no power for an hour and a half. At least once or twice a week, the power flickers on and off. Two weeks ago we had no power for 14 hours!”
The CHRONICLE contacted Yumna Sheik, spokesperson for City Power for comment. “Over 80 per cent of the outages in the South of Johannesburg are as a result of network overload, caused by backyard shacks connected illegally into the network, through bypassed meters.
“The above scenario can result in pole-mounted transformers failing or completely being damaged, fuses blowing, certain low-voltage phases completely burnt, causing the network to collapse.
“So far technical teams have been replacing faulty equipment as a solution to the problem and the equipment has been failing repeatedly due to continuous overload. This cannot be a solution!”
Sheik added, “City Power is mobilising technicians in teams per area and allocating a transformer zone per team. The scope of each team is to unbridge all the meters, remove illegal connections, balance the load amongst the phases, replace the missing fuses, lock the protective structures and fix/replace the faulty equipment, deploy intelligence to catch those responsible for bridging meters (inside protective structures, as it appears to be an inside job in some cases).
“For areas without protective structures, City Power will install protective structures per transformer zone. There are areas affected by cable theft and City Power will replace the existing cable with overhead aluminium. City Power is spending over R267 million to replace LV lines (copper cables) with Aerial Bundle Conductors (ABC) to reduce power outages and curb cable theft.
“City Power conducts joint operations with the South African Police Services (SAPS), Johannesburg Metro Police (JMPD), Eskom, and the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa, to investigate scrap metal dealers in known hot spots to turn off illegal connections.
“Residents should be on the lookout for suspicious construction vehicles working on our electrical network, whether marked or unmarked, and we encourage residents to report incidents of cable theft or suspected criminal activity, as this enables us to track trends and can dispatch resources to where they are needed most.
“Cable theft is conservatively estimated to cost the South African economy about R5 billion a year directly and indirectly. The industry has lamented the scourge of cable theft and has collectively lobbied government to classify cable theft as an act of economic sabotage due to the debilitating impact of cable theft on the economy.
“While we develop initiatives to combat cable theft, we also urge communities to report any trolley-pushers, vehicles, or other suspicious activities, to City Power’s control room, which operates 24 hours a day, on the following numbers, 011 490 7911/7900/7553, or on the toll-free number 0800 003 251.
“City Power is also engaging with local councillors for their support in implementing these initiatives.”
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