Nigel shrouded in darkness

The power outage that affected Nigel for almost a week was resolved on June 24.

The outage was caused by an 88 000V Pylon which collapsed due to the alleged stolen bolts from the structure.

HERAUT met with Wollaston Labuschagne, DA Ward Councilor for Nigel (Ward 88) on June 22, who explained why the power the process of restoring the power.

“What we have here is a pylon that collapsed due to suspected stolen bolts,” said Labuschagne. “On Sunday, June 20, the tension on the overhead high voltage cables and the winds blowing on the structure must have been the final straw.

“The strain on the structure was too much considering it had been stripped of most of its bolts, and it collapsed.

“The affected pylon is also municipal property,” Labuschagne further explained. “Therefore, it is not Eskom but the City of Ekurhuleni’s (CoE) responsibility to reconstruct it.

“I spoke to the area engineer for Nigel, Springs and Dunnottar, as well as the operations manager of the energy department.

“They advised that the process they have to follow includes contractors to submit cost estimates for the necessary repair and reconstruction.

“The City of Ekurhuleni’s energy department must then provide the necessary emergency funding with which the CoE could enter into the relevant agreements with contractors and issue and Instruction to Proceed with Work.

“Only then will the contractors be able to go on-site and start with the reconstructing operations,” Labuschagne elaborated. “According to the CoE’s energy department, there is no other temporary electrical feed to Nigel.”

The affected areas included the Pretouriusstad industrial area and surrounding areas, Mackenzieville and Alra Park, Nigel, Nigel CBD and the surrounding residential areas.

According to Labuschagne, when reconstructing operations start, the contractors will first need to lay a concrete foundation which will need to set before the newly constructed pylon can be erected.

The timeframe in building such a pylon and the process of re-installing the electrical cables and wires, could add an additional two weeks to the process.

The City of Ekurhuleni (CoE) provided feedback on June 23 regarding a temporary plan for the restoration.

“The City is working around the clock to find a solution to restore supply as quickly as possible,” Nhlanhla Cebekhulu, the divisional head of Communication and Media Relations for the CoE said in the statement.  “The pylons and some of the accessories were badly damaged during the incident of theft and are not reusable.

“The short-term plan is to erect a temporary structure to have at least one of the two circuits energised which may carry 100% of the load without any contingency.

“This should happen in the next 7 days.

“The City is engaging with material suppliers and contractors to speedily assist with this process.

“In the next three to six months, the City will rebuild the affected section of the line which will also provide a full contingency of another circuit,” concluded Cebekhulu in the statement.

Labuschagne also expressed his concern regarding the safety and well-being of residents during this time.

“It will be very easy for criminals and vandals to operate during the power outage,” he said.

“People must be on the lookout especially with regard to cable-theft and home break-ins.”

On June 24, Labuschagne confirmed that the CoE’s energy department appointed a contractor to start erecting two mono pylons as a temporary solution to restore the electricity to the affected areas.

Some areas in town still experienced power issues after the temporary pylons were erected. Residents can report any issues to the call centre on 086 054 3000, or by using the MyCoE app.