Challenges mount as Pretoria East grapples with prolonged power outage

A large part of Pretoria East was still without power after the Mooikloof substation caught fire last Wednesday and the transformer burnt down.

Parts of Moreleta Park, Mooikloof and surrounding farms, Woodhills and Plastic View, were some of the areas affected by the transformer fire, including the Mooikloof Ridge Estate near where the substation burned down.

ALSO READ: WATCH: Pretoria East plunged into darkness after Mooikloof substation fire (VIDEO)

Mooikloof Ridge Estate manager Theo van Rensen said 2 719 units in the complex had been without power since last Wednesday.

“Not all of us have generators to run power – only a handful of residents have generators here,” he said.

“Here there is a unit with solar power, but the rest is affected.”

Throwing away food

Van Rensburg said the residents had started throwing away food because they didn’t have power for their fridges.

“Residents are looking at buying cheap generators just to get through the day,” he said.

A resident living in the Mooikloof Equestrian Estate, where the substation burned down, agreed to speak anonymously, and said residents had started throwing away food.

He added that those working from home now had to make alternative arrangements to get their work done.

“To run a generator for the day costs around R400,” he said. The resident said his diesel bill to keep his lights on was now nearing R2 000 for the month, which he hadn’t budgeted for.

City of Tshwane MMC for utilities Themba Fosi said city teams had been on site at the Mooikloof substation to restore power, as indicated last Wednesday, on a phased approach.

Fosi said the city’s energy and electricity team had been working around the clock to ensure the power was restored to all the areas as soon as possible.

“We envisage power to be restored by Wednesday on a phased approach,” Fosi said.

“A certain group will be powered up and maintained, then we can move to the next group until everyone in the region has power available.”

ALSO READ: WATCH: Parts of Tshwane left in the dark after lightning hits substation

Fosi appealed to residents to be patient with the city and confirmed the work to repair the substation had started the day after the fire.

“We needed to make sure the insurance was here and the cleaning was done properly,” he said.

“Some of the materials are items that are not readily available on site and needed to be sourced.”

Fosi said residents should have power by tomorrow night, should everything go according to plan.

Over the weekend, city spokesperson Lindela Mashigo said some delays would be experienced in restoring the power because the estate housing the substation would only allow teams to work between 7am and 11pm.

The Mooikloof Equestrian Estate refused to let members of the media enter the estate and would not comment on the power outage.