City Power transformer explodes again
Boomtown: Newly fitted transformer has exploded in only two weeks since it was replaced
JOHANNESBURG SOUTH- Residents in Ormonde say the loud banging sound made by City Power’s transformers when exploding, has become a dreaded sound they recognise immediately.
When Jabulani Mazibuko rushed out to ascertain whether it was in fact the newly replaced transformer that had exploded on the corner of Jardine Road and Ellingen Road, he found that smoke was coming out of the green box.
He and other residents say they immediately knew that they were in for another day of no power.
“I was inside the house when I heard the exploding sound, and I just knew that it was this transformer that was the cause of this noise. I knew that we were in trouble again, because it means the subcontractors didn’t do a good job the first time around,” said Mr Mazibuko.
On February 26 the two City Power transformers exploded on the corner of Jardine Road and Ellingen Road at 04:00, leaving a section of the suburb without power for nearly two days.
City Power responded swiftly with the intervention of Cllr Sergio Dos Santos, assigning subcontractors to attend to the problem. A new transformer was installed, and the exploded one taken out. The second box, which also had two main cables damaged, was also fitted with new cables.
Although the cause of the explosion has not been determined, residents believe that the subcontractors did not do a good job of fitting the new transformer, as they were forced to work until the early hours of the morning without proper lighting. They had to make use of their cellphones in order to see what they were doing, an act which posed a danger to their lives.
Cllr Dos Santos logged a query with City Power and technicians have been dispatched to the area.
