UPDATE: Power restored in three Randburg neighbourhoods
RANDBURG – After close to three days without electricity three communities finally had their power restored at the end of their Easter weekend.
Electricity was restored to Boskruin, Bromhof and parts of Randpark Ridge on the evening of 2 April after these communities spent close to three days without power.
Families were forced to enjoy their long Easter weekend in the dark after a power trip occurred at Hawken switching station.
Issues faced at the substation are said to be multifaceted, with one of them being that a second feeder cable from Randburg to Hawken had been stolen in the tunnel.
Ward 134 Councillor Wendy Alexander explained the power was restored from about 6.30pm last night (2 April).
“This was done slowly and in a controlled manner to avoid the area tripping again. From this point on, supply was stable again.”
Alexander also said issues at the substation were largely related to theft and this was the first extended outage caused by the Hawken substation. She continued that it was understandable that residents were frustrated during long outages.
“And once again I apologise for the inconvenience created during this time,” said Alexander.
Furthermore, she shared that with City Power’s Twitter feed, her Twitter feed, WhatsApp groups and Facebook pages, they were able to provide residents with up-to-date information during the course of Monday.
“There were multiple aspects that contributed to the outage.
I would like to thank the Randburg Depot City Power team for their commitment to restoring power to the residents, the protection and testing teams who played their role, along with the Mayoral Committee Member Councillor Nico De Jager and Councillor. David Potter.”
Following the power trip, Alexander said officials will be monitoring the network. As theft was a major contributing factor for the weekend’s outage, work will be done with City Power’s risk team to secure infrastructure.
“I appeal to any resident who sees any suspicious activity to report it to the authorities. Residents should not approach the situation. As an active and engaged community, we can play a role in reducing incidents of theft.”
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