Residents in Robindale, particularly along Ann Road, have been experiencing power issues.
The recurring outages have left some of the residents without power for almost a month. City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena explained, upon investigations, teams confirmed that the breaker feeding the area had tripped due to a cable fault on the low-voltage network between the mini-substation and the pillar box supplying customers. Testing teams were deployed to locate the exact point of failure.

He said that, despite multiple attempts, the fault could not be pinpointed, which is not uncommon in cases involving underground cable damage. “In such instances, the most effective and reliable solution is to replace the affected cable section in full. A 270m 150×4 core cable was required for the permanent repair.”

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While the material was being sourced through City Power’s internal procurement and supply processes, a temporary alternative supply was installed to restore electricity to customers. However, persistent wet weather conditions affected network stability and caused the temporary supply to trip intermittently. “On April 24, a technical team was deployed to complete the permanent repair. During the process, the temporary supply failed again, and teams worked extended hours on site to finalise the installation. The permanent cable replacement was successfully completed before midnight, and supply to customers was fully restored.”

Mangena reiterated that the outage in Robindale was not caused by a failure at the substation, but by a cable fault on the low-voltage network, therefore, there was no requirement for substation replacement, or upgrade, in relation to this incident. However, some network challenges in the Robindale area are linked to overloading and infrastructure damage caused by cable theft, vandalism, and unauthorised connections. “During routine fault response, teams have identified instances where stolen underground copper cables were replaced with ABC cables. These cables are not designed for underground use and often lead to instability, including voltage fluctuations and repeated outages. In addition, illegal connections and unauthorised network alterations place excessive load on existing distributors, resulting in overloading and reduced network performance.”

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To address these challenges, City Power has implemented the following measures:
• Replacement of compromised lines with appropriate aluminium cabling designed for the specific application,
• Ongoing assessment of load distribution, with plans to split overloaded feeders into multiple lines to balance demand, and
• Increased monitoring and co-ordination with the risk control department to address theft and vandalism hotspots.

The Robindale area has been flagged for enhanced security visibility to deter illegal activities affecting the electricity network. City Power appeals to residents to report suspicious activity and assist in protecting critical infrastructure. Reports can be made to the risk control department on 011 490 7911/7900 or via WhatsApp on 083 597 4497. Anonymous reporting is also available through the Anti-Fraud Hotline on 0800 002 587.

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