Power-To-Us engages Ekurhuleni Mayor on outages in Bredell, Pomona and Glen Marais

Representatives of the Power-To-Us community group recently met with Ekurhuleni Mayor Nkosindiphile Xhakaza and officials from the CoE’s Energy Department at the Birchwood Hotel in Boksburg to discuss ongoing power outages affecting Bredell, Pomona, Glen Marais and surrounding areas.

Power-To-Us representative André Jansen said the meeting focused on the frequency of outages and the lack of consistent feedback to residents.

He emphasised that recent disruptive protests in the area, which included tyres being burnt and motorists allegedly being asked to pay R500 to pass, were not sanctioned by Power-To-Us.

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“We commit ourselves to responsible and accountable citizenry in pursuing the resolution of all issues we have with the municipality and its associates,” Jansen said.

“We have power outages every alternate day and no officials, political or functional, provide feedback to residents. Initial system testing is usually delayed, leading to even later and inadequate feedback.”

Jansen said Power-To-Us had requested reports detailing contractor vetting processes and contact details to improve accountability.

He also raised concerns about the use of contractors instead of city-employed technicians, citing a contractor who appointed three women as labourers who, according to Jansen, were physically unable to dig and expose a damaged cable, resulting in delays.

“We will never propagate gender or any other discrimination, but the work could not be completed timeously,” he said.

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Additional operational concerns raised included the refuelling of EMPD vehicles in Heidelberg, which Jansen said resulted in a turnaround time of approximately two and a half hours.

“That is time lost and not used for service delivery in the main affected areas,” he said.

According to Jansen, the city committed to providing direct communication channels to senior officials in the absence of effective area-level representation. Power-To-Us will also be included in selected senior discussion groups to improve information flow.

Power-To-Us has already sourced three tons of tar for initial pothole patching and requested that the city provide logistical and labour support as part of final planning.

Jansen thanked local businesses for supporting community initiatives aimed at restoring the area’s safety and appearance.

The group also raised concerns about broken traffic lights, calling for them to be prioritised in planning.

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Power-To-Us informed the city of its intention to register as an NPO and a Section 21 company to formalise future initiatives.

Jansen said city officials acknowledged technical and logistical challenges, including fibre installation contractors inadvertently damaging power cables. Eight such incidents have been identified and repaired in the area to date.

“We must realise that the city and contractor teams on site are only some of many addressing area-wide problems,” Jansen said.
“Communication will, in future, be confirmed by designated senior city officials.”

Power-To-Us requested the city’s standard operating procedures for future reference.

One intervention the city mentioned was that high-voltage cable repair turnaround times are usually three days, with further information to be provided to better manage expected restoration times.

The group will also be included in the city’s Friday Service Delivery Days, which aim to improve outreach and community feedback.

In addition, Operation Rapid Intervention will take place every Monday, with feedback on resolved and unresolved issues discussed with the mayor and conveyed to Power-To-Us.

Power-To-Us will receive reports from monthly meetings between the mayor, mayoral committee members and Ekurhuleni councillors.

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“Problems will always arise, but 90% of our frustration comes from poor communication,” Jansen said.

“We see daily how uninformed residents make emotional decisions.”

The city was urged to improve interdepartmental liaison, particularly between the Roads, BRT teams and Energy departments, to prevent contractors from damaging electricity, water and sewerage infrastructure.

Budget provision has been made in the new cycle for improved security at substations in conjunction with EMPD.

Power-To-Us will also be given access to detailed budget analyses, allowing informed engagement without selective political reporting.

Jansen said early-warning technology for fault detection needs greater emphasis in city project management.

He added that the mayor noted challenges during mayoral outreach programmes, where addressing illegal activities, such as unauthorised connections, illegal businesses and unlawful construction, often draws resistance from residents.

“Residents must be prepared to take the bitter with the sweet,” Jansen said.

Given the size of Ward 25, it was suggested that the city consider appointing two councillors to the ward or a formally employed operational assistant to improve representation.

“The mayor and his team appreciated our non-political approach as representatives of all residents of Ward 25,” Jansen said.

CoE spokesperson Zweli Dlamini stated that technology and physical security measures have been implemented in liaison with the EMPD.

“We do not take this matter lightly, as our mandate is to provide quality and sustainable services,” Dlamini said.

“Sharing detailed plans would defeat the object, arming criminals for their next move.”

He confirmed that all critical distribution points have security measures in place and that about 23 cable thefts were recorded in Ward 25 over the past 12 months.

“Security has been reinforced and the matter escalated to various levels of law enforcement,” he said.

Dlamini said the standard turnaround time for power outages is 24 hours.

“Delays are never intentional and are unique to the specific challenges associated with each complaint,” he said.

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He added that standby and support teams are available, with contingency network configurations implemented when possible. The city remains compliant with distribution licence requirements.

“Cable theft is acknowledged. However, we cannot control how thieves operate or which area they target next,” Dlamini said.

He said infrastructure theft and vandalism are continually reviewed internally, with law enforcement responsible for crime prevention and mitigation.

“Law enforcement has plans and mechanisms in place to combat crime in areas such as Ward 25,” Dlamini said.