Robin Glen Residents Association maintains substation on Republic Road

Residents have partnered with City Power to take ownership of, and maintain, a local substation.

The substation on the corner of Republic Road and Du Plessis Street supplies the area around it, including parts of Windsor Glen and Windsor East.

Recently, there have been ongoing issues of power outages, poor quality repairs and displaced people living in the substation.

Robin Glen Residents Association members put time and money into cleaning the substation, removing displaced people, installing a fence and locks and continually monitoring and maintaining the site.

“We are glad to be working with City Power to address these issues but we need follow-ups from the entity,” said the association’s chairperson, Debbie Minnaar.

“Often the calls are logged and then closed immediately before any work is done. We have issues that have been outstanding for some time.”

These include an electricity pole on the corner of Collins and Kotler streets that has had many poorly-done reconnections and repairs. The pole even caught fire in June last year.

Another cable has also been left exposed next to the road and might shock someone nearby should it rain.

The association’s John Werth and Mel Mungofa agreed much had been achieved through their partnership with City Power, but they still felt there was room for improvement.

“It comes down to skills development and City Power just does not have subcontractors who are skilled enough to sort issues out properly,” said Werth, who is on the electrical technical committee at the South African National Standards).

“Their equipment is also substandard, or they do not bring the correct equipment.”

He recommended a load audit should be done to investigate the cause of daily tripping between May 21 and June 10. A power surge on June 21 also caused many of the street lights in the area to shatter, and appliances to be damaged.

Ward 98 councillor Beverley Jacobs commended the residents for contacting City Power and making arrangements to assist in the maintenance of the substation.

“The City is not working and issues like this are all over Joburg,” she explained.

“The contractors come through but cannot fix issues, and it is costing the City a fortune.”

City Power spokesperson, Isaac Mangena was contacted regarding the matter on July 6, and said he would follow up to provide comment.

The Randburg Sun will publish his comments as they are made.