UPDATE: 18:00

Parts of Alberton North and the CBD that had power today will be without electricity until tomorrow morning due to ongoing load rotation.

“If you had power during the day, you will now be switched off until tomorrow morning at 07:00 as load rotation is still in place,” said Ward 37 councillor Ivan Naidoo.

Cllr Naidoo added that this is dependent on whether Energy and Eskom resolve the issue before then.

According to Cllr Naidoo, the depot manager said: “Once the load drops, we should be able to put them back. We are monitoring the load.”

BREAKING NEWS

With Eskom and municipal officials scrambling to restore supply, councillors have condemned years of patchwork repairs and are demanding long-term solutions.

A meeting held earlier today (May 6) between local councillors, Alberton Energy officials, and the Head of Department (HOD) of Energy revealed that only one of four transformers is currently operational.

Ward 37 Councillor Ivan Naidoo said, “There are four transformers: 2, 3, 4, and 5. At the moment, only Transformer 3 is working. Eskom is currently attending to the unit that blew on their side, and Transformer 4 has been faulty for over a year.”

Transformer 2 incident still unresolved

Transformer 2 experienced a major fault on March 24, 2025, when its breaker blew. A reconfigured breaker was installed, but repairs are not yet complete.

“At any given time, two transformers are needed to supply power to the area. Right now, only one is supplying, which is not sufficient.” Naidoo explained.

Ekurhuleni needs to reconfigure its infrastructure

Councillors were told that Transformer 1 supplies power to the Ekurhuleni network. For it to assist with the current load, Ekurhuleni would need to reconfigure its cable and network.

“Unfortunately, councillors cannot do anything about this. Repairs were underway when this latest incident occurred,” said Naidoo.

Eskom working on NEC component

Eskom is currently busy with the NEC component related to the fault. The energy department noted that full load rotation will be based on one of two possible outcomes by 16:30.

Repairs on Transformer 5 by Eskom

Reconfiguration of the Ekurhuleni cable and network.

“If one of these happens, power can be restored. If not, load rotation will begin at 16:30,” Naidoo said.

Councillors condemn ongoing patchwork repairs

During the meeting, councillors criticised the ongoing patchwork approach to maintenance. They told the department and HOD that this cannot continue and that proper, long-term repairs and regular maintenance are urgently needed.

Communication breakdown addressed

Poor communication was also raised during the meeting. The energy department acknowledged the issue and committed to improving how updates are shared with the public.

“A full report will be given to councillors once power is restored. It will include all repairs, maintenance, and work done over the past 12 months,” said Naidoo.

Update: testing underway

At 13:55 today, May 6, Alberton Energy confirmed that testing on Incomer 2 is ongoing and producing positive results. Eskom has installed the blown NEC, and testing on Incomer 5 will follow. If successful, power is expected to be restored. The estimated restoration time will be provided at 16:00.

The Alberton Record will continue to monitor this developing story.

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