City Power faces tough challenges as rain and vandalism disrupt power supply
Northcliff, Linden, and Victory Park residents struggle with ongoing power outages as heavy rains, flooding, and vandalism complicate repairs. Here’s how City Power is tackling the challenges.
The recent heavy rains that have plagued areas such as Linden, Victory Park, Montgomery Park, and Northcliff have compounded ongoing power supply issues for many residents.
City Power has been under increasing pressure to address these disruptions, which have been exacerbated by the unexpected storms.
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City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena provided insight into the challenges of restoring power in the wake of these weather conditions. “Upon receiving notification of an unplanned outage, our teams are immediately dispatched to investigate and determine the cause,” Mangena said. “Once the cause is identified, we assess the damage and source the necessary materials for repairs.”
According to Mangena, in cases where multiple cable faults affect customers in the same area, City Power works closely with the test branch team to locate and resolve the issues. “We conduct thorough testing before initiating repairs, and once the testing is successful, we proceed with restoring power.”
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However, the heavy localised rainfall had significantly impacted repair efforts. Mangena explained that flooding in affected areas often delayed the response to outages. “The ongoing rain makes fault detection more challenging, as moisture interferes with testing equipment. Fallen trees and other obstacles can further delay repairs.”
City Power also faces additional challenges due to blocked or cordoned-off roadways, which hinder access to critical electrical infrastructure. “Storms exacerbate equipment failures, flooding underground tunnels and damaging infrastructure.” In particular, vandalised pillar boxes and mini-substations, which are especially vulnerable during heavy rain, often trip, and moisture exposure can lead to cable faults that are difficult to detect.
Mangena highlighted the multitude of factors that contributed to the power system’s strain, including system overloading, electricity theft through meter bypassing and illegal connections, cable theft, infrastructure vandalism, and inclement weather conditions. All of these factors frequently disrupt the power supply.
Despite these challenges, City Power has made significant progress in restoring power to affected areas. Mangena confirmed the full restoration of power on the following dates:
- Victory Park and surrounding areas: Fully restored on March 6
- Linden and surrounding areas: Fully restored on March 8
- Montgomery Park: Fully restored on March 8
- Northcliff South and surrounding areas: Fully restored on March 11.
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