City Power fixes high volt issue at Ekklesia Park Retirement Village

City Power has located and repaired the high voltage issue that raised unsafe concerns for the residents at Ekklesia Park Retirement Village in Blairgowrie.

Isaac Mangena, City Power spokesperson, confirmed that the issue was attended to, and a follow up was also made with further investigations done resulting in the issue being resolved.

Read more: City Power continues to audit and replace meters around Randburg

The residents were experiencing shocks in their showers and taps when using water, as well as having appliances burning out. This caused distress among residents, especially as it took days since they reported the matter to City Power before the entity took action, and about a week before the problem was found and resolved.

Mangena explained that they were made aware of the incident on January 10. An electrician was assigned to investigate the high voltage issue, however, he could not find any fault on the circuit, which resulted in further escalation to the team leader. Another team made a follow-up and found an imbalance on the power supply causing the high voltage.

“The first electrician was allocated and suspected a cable fault, however, the cable tested clean. During further investigations, the team was able to identify that the customers are using alternative power supply. This enabled the team to run tests on the City Power side and an imbalance on the voltage was found. The team was then able to fix the neutral.”

Also read: City Power continues their fight against the power syndicates in Kya Sands

Explaining why it took so long for the contractors to locate this issue he stated that voltage imbalances can stem from various sources, making it challenging to identify certain faults. “In some cases, specialised equipment may be required to pinpoint the issue, which may not have been immediately available to detect the cause of the imbalance in the power supply.”

Mangena admitted that electric shocks are dangerous and must be investigated and resolved as soon as possible. “It is for that reason that we urge residents to refrain from tampering with electricity infrastructure as some connections, if not done by a certified electrician, may cause circuit malfunctions. They may pose significant safety risks and disrupt the proper functioning of our circuits, potentially leading to power surges and equipment malfunctions that can harm residents.”

Customers are also encouraged to regularly test their earth leakage devices to ensure safety.

He shared various reasons that may cause high voltage issues:

• Theft and vandalism often lead to abnormalities along the circuit causing the voltage to be higher or lower than normal. For instance, when the voltage is higher it can burn appliances, and when its lower only the lights will switch on.
• Illegal connections, bypassed meters, or tampering of electrical infrastructure in or within the customers property or complex.
• A cable fault on the circuit.
• If there is no bonding between the earth and neutral.
• There could be no sufficient earthing.
• Faulty wiring or exposed wires also pose an increased risk of electric shocks or short circuits.

Tinkie van Zyl, from the retirement village, confirmed that the entity attended to the issue and the repairs were done.

“City Power was here on two occasions. The matter finally seems to be resolved, for now at least. The root of the problem was in the substation.”

Follow us on our Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok pages. Join our WhatsApp group for any story ideas you may have.

Related article: City Power disconnects unauthorised connections in Kya Sands