“The unresponsive metro left fuming residents of Ward 92 in the dark for hours recently,” said Ward 92 councillor, Clr Tiziana Plaskitt.
The affected areas included: Meadowdale, Buurendaal, Highway Gardens, Klopper Park and Harmelia.
Some residents alleged that the power outage was caused by ‘zama zamas’ (illegal miners) burning tyres underneath the cables, in an attempt to steal the cables – and that led to a switch at a local substation blowing and the power outage.
That continued for several days, with brief moments of relief before residents were plunged into darkness again.
However, the cables were still damaged and at 8pm on Monday, November 21, the power went off, as a switch had blown at the substation.
The power was restored at 11pm the same night.
“What concerns us (the DA) is that this seems to have become an annual occurrence – and for years, our DA councillors have been dealing with this issue around the same time of year,” said Plaskitt.
The DA has questioned why the EMPD is not protecting these cables or at least, as it’s a known weakness area, why the cables weren’t buried under the concrete to protect them?
“The metro has to come up with a plan to stop this.
“It’s clear there aren’t enough workers on the ground attending to problems,” she added.
The DA has recommended that the metro invest in cable theft prevention solutions, such as a cable theft monitor or intelligent vibration sensors – which are able to detect cable defects, or potential risks or threats.
“We implore the metro to look into solutions; to find more innovative ways to safeguard electricity infrastructure and reduce future outages,” Plaskitt urged.
The DA has since submitted a petition to council from the residents of Ward 92, calling for an upgrade of the infrastructure to fight the constant power outages.
You might also be interested in reading:
Company plagued by sewage leak once again
Electricity cable no longer a threat
