Residents left in dark once again as city battles to restore power

Citizens in several areas of Pretoria East remain without electricity, as the City of Tshwane struggles to restore power. Lindela Mashigo, a city spokesperson, reported that the Energy and Electricity Business Unit has restored 90% of the electrical load to the Waltloo Industrial area. However, residents are still waiting for power to be restored.

Technical work to restore the 132/11kV Waltloo substation, including equipment and cable installations, has been completed. The city's technical teams are also installing additional backup network connections to enhance the network's ability to maintain supply and provide alternatives in case of faults.

Eastlynn resident Susan Brand recounted her experience with the power outage, noting that it was the third time in less than a year her family had to discard spoiled food due to prolonged blackouts. She expressed her frustration with the city's response, stating that her claim had been unsuccessful. Brand's experiences are not unique; others have faced similarly long power outages.

Last December, the family was without power for almost three weeks, and in August, they were without electricity for three days. Residents are understandably unhappy, with some taking to the streets to protest the ongoing outage, blocking roads with tires and branches. Four suspects have been arrested for public violence during these demonstrations.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) Tshwane mayoral candidate, Cilliers Brink, highlighted that about 6,000 residents in Murrayfield, La Montagne, Silverton, and other parts of ward 41 remain without power. The city's restoration efforts have been slowed by a shortage of switching teams and system operators. Additionally, cable theft during the outage has further delayed the restoration process.

Brink urged protesters to join community patrols to prevent further cable theft, emphasizing that such incidents prolong the wait for electricity.