On Tuesday, 19 November, various City of Johannesburg (CoJ) entities were joined by media and community members in Honeydew to launch the construction of a new substation.
Former CoJ Mayor, councillor Herman Mashaba was joined by MMC for Environment and Infrastructure, councillor Nico de Jager, and City Power Management. Unfortunately, the two Ward 97 councillors, Leah Knott and Ralf Bittkau, were unable to attend due to other engagements.
Read more here:
https://roodepoortnorthsider.co.za/309813/mini-substations-plagued-by-interference-and-cable-theft/
The event began with De Jager congratulating City Power on their hard work, continuous efforts to keep power supply up and running, and to keep residents updated when the power supply is interrupted.
Even though Knott could not attend, De Jager acknowledged how hard she had fought for this substation to be built, especially because it would relieve a lot of the strain on the Peter Road and Kloofendal Substations. With improved power supply, the prolonged outages and infrastructure problems would decrease substantially.
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Video created by Vaughn Marran
The Lutz Substation is set to be completed by mid-2021 at a cost of R105 million. City Power announced that while the construction is under way, the entity will have measures in place to prevent power disruptions. “Only under extreme circumstances, and when absolutely necessary, will the power be switched off,” said Mashaba. Residents will be informed well in advance if there is a need to switch off the electricity.
After speeches from those managing the project, and Mashaba and De Jager, attendees were taken to the construction site where City Power explained the process to be followed for the construction, and how this substation will benefit the community, saying that Lutz will provide a more stable source of power to residents and businesses.
It will also be able to ensure enough capacity for current and future developments in the area. The two councillors then turned the soil to launch the project officially.
This construction project is a source of immense pride for CoJ; not only because of its benefits, but because it has created much-needed job opportunities. One special worker on the project was taken off the streets, given a construction job and provided with a home.
Mashaba’s speech, while covering aspects related to the substation, was predominantly about the great strides the multi-party government and their entities have made to bring Diphetogo to their residents.
He said with pride that City Power has turned itself around under City of Johannesburg supervision, explaining that when he took office, City Power was the second most corrupt entity in the country, with the financial entity being first. He told the attendees that the City had been paying money for construction that never materialised. He had it investigated and took the required steps. He then expressed his newfound faith in City Power to complete the Lutz Substation on time and within the budget. Mashaba finished his speech by saying, “What needs to be done in the country may not be achieved in our lifetime, but we need to make an impact so that future generations can benefit from the changes”.
