Lenasia South electricity expected to be restored on Sunday

There may be good news for Lenasia South residents after City Power announced it has completed the repair work on the standby transformer at the Lenasia South substation and are ready to energize.

The suburb was plunged into darkness after a fire broke out at the 88/11KV substation that supplies electricity to the area.

It is understood that the fire started immediately after, or during load shedding restoration early on Friday morning.

Restoration of power

City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena said the teams and contractors worked throughout the night and day to ensure power is restored soonest to the affected customers.

“The transformer passed the test this afternoon, and oil also passed the moisture test.  We are waiting only for Eskom to finish the repairs on their side before we can energize the transformer and also confirm if the coolers are working.”

“We are still on track to restore power as initially planned, but it seems we may do that earlier than expected, should all go according to plan,” Mangena said.

ALSO READ: WATCH: Substation fire plunges Lenasia South into darkness

Cause of fire

Mangena said the cause of the fire is still being investigated.

“We appreciate the customers for your patience and cooperation during the repairs and outage. We apologise for the inconvenience caused by this.”

Extended power outages

Lenasia South has been plagued by extended outages, especially during load shedding.

It is believed that criminals use load shedding as an opportunity to raid areas of copper cables, resulting in unplanned power outages.

Cable theft

Cable theft has become a chronic problem in the City of Johannesburg.

Earlier this year, MMC for Environment and Infrastructure Services in the City of Johannesburg, Michael Sun, said load shedding is not only about being in the dark due to blackouts.

“It is the exact time cable thieves strike and our infrastructure becomes vulnerable to outages,” Sun said.

Residents have been urged to try and prevent cable theft before it happens by reporting any suspicious behaviour in their neighbourhoods during load shedding.

ALSO READ: Load shedding silver lining: SA moves to renewables faster, saves environment