Dim light at the end of the power outage tunnel

Residents are fuming after being without power for more than four days due to two faulty transformers at the Market Substation.

The Rand West City Local Municipality issued a statement on January 17, explaining that severe thunderstorms had damaged the substation’s transformers. However, no timeline for restoration has been provided.

• Read the initial article here: Substation fault leads to power outage

• Frustrated residents have voiced their anger over the prolonged power outage:

Neville Ferreira expressed his disappointment, citing a lack of service delivery.

“The ward councillors only copy and paste updates and never provide proper feedback. The situation is so bad that every time it rains, we joke about how long it’ll take for the electricity to come back. At this rate, the town will soon be completely off the grid if nothing is done. Water, electricity, roadworks, and basic services are nonexistent in this town,” Ferreira said.

Another resident, Carel van Tonder, criticised ward councillors for failing to deliver on their promises.

“We report municipal issues, and the councillors just say they can’t do anything because it’s a government matter. The municipality’s planning is flawed. Quotations should be done in advance. They’re wasting the public’s money and time,” Van Tonder explained.

He also highlighted other municipal challenges, including sewage leaks.

“In some areas, sewage is leaking into dams and fields,” he added.

Ward councillor Sina Erasmus stated that the municipality cannot proceed until insurance assessors have inspected the substation.

“It’s true that the spare transformer at Drowel Substation needs to be moved to Market Substation, as we can’t wait for the damaged transformers to be repaired. However, this is not a small task —quotations need approval. The municipality is working on resolving the issue, but the process involves assessment, quotations, and approval. It’s understandable that installing a new transformer can’t happen overnight,” Erasmus explained.

Municipal spokesperson Phillip Montshiwa assured residents that the technical team is working tirelessly to restore power.

“The municipality is doing everything possible to ensure power restoration,” Montshiwa said.