Blairgowrie residents concerned over falling electricity pole
Blairgowrie resident Mark Knocker said he is fearful for the day the cables fall to the ground and who could be killed.
Blairgowrie residents are living in fear as a street pole carrying live current hangs over the road, posing a serious threat to the safety of the community. Despite months of pleas to City Power, the issue remains unresolved, leaving residents frustrated and concerned for their wellbeing.
Mark Knocker, a resident deeply troubled by the situation, expressed his frustration. “The date on which the first ticket was logged was the beginning of October 2023, and the resident was given a reference number by City Power. She logged it again on November 13, 2023, after no response to her October ticket number and was given another reference number.”
Describing the danger, Knocker highlighted the risk posed by the falling pole. “It was described as a dangerous situation. Cables which carry high voltage power will fall to the ground and there are people, school children, and animals that face an extremely dangerous situation.”
Residents feel neglected and ignored by the authorities, with Knocker questioning, “Why do we have to spend so much time trying to get City Power to respond? We are fearful for the day these cables fall to the ground and who may be killed when this happens.”
The falling pole not only poses a danger but is also affecting the electricity supply to a nearby house. “Certain homes have gone without power as these cables attached to this falling pole move and the cables short out. City Power will restore power to the house affected but don’t fix the pole,” Knocker said.
Ward 99 councillor Nicole van Dyk, spoke out on the matter. “I have been sending the issue to City Power Randburg now for some time, using the WhatsApp escalation groups. They have been acknowledging the problem, but nothing has been done yet.”
City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena assured residents that they are working to resolve the problem. “City Power is aware of the street pole that is falling on Ralda Street. A team was recently dispatched to investigate and discovered that the street pole in question was damaged and needed to be replaced. City Power is in the process of sourcing a new pole to replace the one that is falling. We will embark on the process of replacing the street pole as soon as the new one is delivered to us.”
In response to the affected electricity supply, Mangena said that the issue had been resolved. “We can confirm that the houses on Ralda Street have full power supply. All the reference numbers provided date back to November 2023 when customers on Ralda Street had a power outage problem that was resolved back then, and the tickets were closed after the power supply was restored.”
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