Tshwane battles power outages as cold weather pushes grid to the limit

Several areas across the City of Tshwane have been plunged into darkness due to power outages caused by electrical circuit overloads.

According to the city’s statement, the outages are primarily the result of excessive electricity demand, particularly from heating appliances, as residents battle through the current cold snap.

“When too many appliances or devices draw electricity from a single circuit, it can exceed the system’s capacity and result in an overload,” the city explained.

This triggers safety mechanisms such as circuit breakers or fuses, which automatically shut down the power to prevent infrastructure damage or fire risk.

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Critical outages prioritised

The city said teams are prioritising “serious and critical outages” but cautioned that the electricity network remains under “severe strain”.

It also addressed concerns that delays in restoring power may be linked to the new overtime policy recently introduced.

“The delayed response time to restoring power outages has nothing to do with the recently implemented policy to manage overtime, which was severely straining the city’s financial resources and had been consistently raised by the Auditor-General,” the city said.

To avoid misinformation and stay updated, residents are encouraged to join regional and citywide WhatsApp channels where official communication is shared.

“Together, we can ease the pressure on the grid and help prevent further outages during this challenging cold spell,” the city urged.

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