MMC of Energy meets Dukathole residents for power restoration

Dukathole informal settlement has been without electricity since September 8, when a fire at the local substation caused extensive damage.

The community is waiting for power restoration.

Ongoing tensions between contractors and residents, who have reportedly been obstructing repair work, have hindered efforts.

For years, residents have dealt with an inconsistent power supply from an overloaded grid that was never intended to service the growing number of homes in the area.

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While some houses are legally connected to the grid, many rely on illegal connections, with wires crisscrossing between shacks throughout the settlement.

On October 2, residents met with the MMC to discuss the substation’s repair.

Tensions escalated on September 30 when technicians and engineers had to evacuate because of hostile interactions with residents.

Senior engineers reported being held hostage as locals demanded answers about why some areas of Dukathole had power while others did not, leading to safety concerns for the repair team.

Ward 35 Clr Ntuthuzelo Mpambani condemned the residents’ actions, stating such behaviour disrupts essential work.

“This substation has been a challenge for years, as it supplies power to both residents and businesses. When people interfere with this crucial work, it complicates the situation further.

“Residents need to be patient and allow contractors to proceed, as this outage affects many people,” Mpambani said.

Addressing illegal connections, Mpambani noted this was a widespread problem in the community.

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“People are paying individuals for illegal connections, which exacerbates the situation. The city also needs to address the need for re-blocking to help normalise the area,” he added.

Mpambani revealed he had submitted a motion in July to the council to relocate the substation from Dukathole to Khuthalo Hotel in Ward 35.

He described the hostel as well-maintained, with better infrastructure managed by its residents.

This relocation could also present an opportunity for the community to start purchasing electricity from the municipality, which would help generate revenue for the city.

MMC of Energy Mzayifani Ngwenya emphasised the need for community cooperation to ensure the contractors can complete their work.

“Residents must promise not to disturb the contractors during the power restoration process, as it is ultimately for their benefit,” Ngwenya said.

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Residents agreed with this commitment, but Ngwenya reminded them that the issues they face stem from illegal connections.

“The substation is overloaded and cannot handle the demand. We must address this problem and recognise that services need to be paid for,” he explained.

In the coming weeks, Ngwenya plans to meet with various departments, including human settlement and city planning, to discuss potential solutions for the Dukathole community.

He assured residents restoring the power would be conducted in phases to prevent overwhelming the already strained power grid.