Two newly installed mini substations on Witwatersrand Road in Strubens Valley may be a source of relief for many residents, but one resident affected by them now fears for his safety. They are higher than his security wall.
The frustrated resident, John Carreira, has lambasted City Power for putting up the mini substations outside his property.
An angry Carreira told the Northsider that the two electricity boxes, which are even taller than he is, were installed on Saturday, 7 March to replace the one that blew up a while ago.
“Six weeks ago we had a huge storm that caused the power to go off. After repairs were done, the mini sub blew up and it was replaced with a generator to power up the area,” he explained.
The day prior to the mini substations being installed, Carreira said he found that two huge trenches had been dug on either sides of his gate on the sidewalk in front of his yard. “I thought this meant the generator would be replaced,” he said, adding that he did not realise that he was in for a huge but unpleasant surprise.
“On Saturday morning at around 7am I saw the trucks arriving with these gigantic boxes, and on my way out I inquired about their operation. One of the workers informed me that they were tasked to install both boxes on each side of my property,” he explained.
He added that he lost his temper and vented about the fact that he hadn’t been consulted about this move. “I was extremely upset and called my wife to talk to City Power about this. She managed to get hold of a manager in charge of the operation after hassles with the workers,” Carreira said.
Instead of providing clarity on the matter, he said they were met with rudeness.
“When we asked about these installations, which have been posing a security risk and messed up our front yard, this City Power manager responded to my wife saying that the pavement wasn’t ours and he could do on it whatever he liked,” he claimed.
Carreira said after that disappointing response they left the workers to proceed with the job. “My wife contacted this manager again on Monday to find out who had given the workers permission to install the mini subs, and his answer was ‘me’,” he further claimed.
While persisting to get the right answers, Carreira said the ‘rude’ manager directed them to the City Power offices in Braamfontein to lodge a formal complaint.
In the interim, he said he took the matter up with the councillor of the area. Ward 85 councillor Sonja Meyer said, “I understand his frustration. I have arranged a meeting with David from City Power to discuss the issue and see if they could accommodate the resident by moving at least one box.”
However, Carreira was still baffled as to why City Power couldn’t just move both mini subs to the City-owned greenbelt down Witwatersrand Road.
Apart from the security risk, the ratepayer said this problem would cause his property to lose its value. “I consulted a real-estate agent who confirmed to me that the value of my property might be compromised by the presence of these mini substations,” he said.
City Power was approached for comment.
This is a developing story.
