MMC apologises for weekend power cuts in Rabie Ridge

MMC for Environment and Infrastructure Services Department, Mpho Moerane, has apologised to the residents of the City of Johannesburg who were affected by power outages during the cold front this past weekend (13 and 14 June).

A statement released by the MMC said that City Power battled several challenges in different parts of the city as the temperatures dropped and the demand for electricity increased.

Several areas experienced unplanned outages due to the overloading of the network caused by the high demand for electricity. The situation is worsened by illegal connections that are mushrooming in most areas across the City of Johannesburg.

As a result, due to overstretched resources, some areas were only restored after more than 36 hours. The areas hardest hit include Rabie Ridge, where mini-substations faulted due to overloading. In Klipfontein, two mini-substations burnt down due to illegal connections. Various areas in the City of Johannesburg also experienced intermittent power outages.

In Eldorado Park, there were multiple cable faults on Saturday, which plunged the area into darkness for the most part of the weekend, and a mini-substation blew up due to illegal connections in Coronationville. Other outages due to overloading include areas such as Tshepisong, Thembelihle, Vlakfontein, CBD and Lenasia.

“City Power teams, which were stretched by the increase in outages, worked around the clock to ensure that the challenges were addressed and power is restored.”

While over 2 000 calls were logged every day throughout the weekend, there were fewer calls by 15 June, as most of the issues had been addressed by then. Customers are urged to assist City Power by using electricity sparingly by switching off non-essential appliances during peak hours.

Resources have been increased in areas that are prone to unplanned outages to ensure a quicker response time. As part of the winter plan, generation at Kelvin Substation has been increased from 90 to 250 megawatts to meet the winter demand. The City has engaged the services of Kelvin Power Station (private power supplier) in order to be able to handle the increasing demand for power. Illegal connections remain a major problem for the City. The removal of illegal connections will be intensified across the City in the coming days. Illegal connections inconvenience other customers, interrupt businesses and cost the City millions of rand in lost revenue.

Budgets have also been made available to deal with ageing infrastructure, build more substations and do regular maintenance. “We appeal for calm from our residents as we address some of the challenges that were caused by the affected power supply this past weekend.”

Related article:

https://www.citizen.co.za/midrand-reporter/241995/city-power-says-over-100-complexes-in-midrand-have-failed-to-pay-their-power-bills/