COUNCILLORS CORNER: Will there ever be an end to power outages?
JOBURG – Read this weeks' question in Councillor's Corner by ward 126 councillor David Brand.
This week, Nicholas Zaal from Weltevreden Park asked:
When will the electricity problems be addressed in Roodepoort? Half the time when it rains the electricity goes out in Weltevreden Park, Radiokop etc. How can it be a problem for so long without anything being done?
David Brand, Ward 126 councillor answered:
The power outages faced by residents of both Weltevreden Park and Randpark Ridge are, unfortunately, similar to those faced by residents in some other areas of the City of Johannesburg.
Unplanned outages are caused by several factors:
Firstly, City Power is working, in many areas, with ageing infrastructures such as cabling, switchgear and transformers. In general terms, maintenance of such infrastructures should [understaken] by spending some 2 to 2,5 per cent of the original capital cost per year. For many years, the previous administration neglected to do so and this has resulted in equipment and infrastructure being in a poor condition. The Mayor Herman Mashaba, recently informed residents that Citywide electrical infrastructure upgrade requires a capital investment of billions of rand.
Secondly, cable theft is a major problem, occurring at night and in areas where such theft is not easily seen and the repair work takes not only time and money, but take technicians away from other work such as preventative maintenance. The City does have a department that focuses on theft and such risk matters, but this will remain a problem until the purchase and resale of scrap metals become more controlled and regulated.
Lastly, third party damage to cables does happen and, while fibre installers seem to take the blame for this, such damage is also caused by others working on pavements and in road reserves.
For residents in Weltevreden Park there is some relief on the horizon. The electrical station in Kloofendal is undergoing an upgrade, and output will increase from 33 kilo volt-ampere (KVA) to 86 KVA. This station in Kloofendal serves, amongst others, the Panorama substation which in turn supplies the southern part of Weltevreden Park and, while cabling to the Panorama substation will still require upgrading, the Kloofendal station will provide a constant and stable supply.
Do you have a question for a ward councillor?
As a local newspaper, the Randburg Sun provides a platform for residents to learn about, understand and follow local government. As an extension of that, there is a weekly column called Councillor’s Corner which is a platform for you, our readers, to voice your concerns or questions for ward councillors to respond to.
Different, willing, ward councillors will respond to a question each week.
E-mail your burning question to: aimeed@caxton.co.za and let’s get the ball rolling.
