Several suburbs in the east of Pretoria remain without electricity as technicians continue to battle multiple cable faults, damaged infrastructure, and overloaded networks.

These issues have affected supply in parts of Mamelodi, Nellmapius, Silverton, and the surrounding suburbs.

According to the metro, repair teams have made progress in restoring electricity to several affected areas, but a number of outages remain unresolved due to complex technical challenges and obstructions on critical infrastructure.

The most significant outage remains at the Mamelodi 2 Substation, where residents in Nellmapius Ext 21 and 24 continue to experience prolonged power interruptions.

Metro spokesperson Lindela Mashigo said technicians had identified two separate medium-voltage cable faults, with electricity restored to parts of the affected areas through backfeeding.

“Power has been partially restored to some parts of Nellmapius Ext 21 and 24. However, approximately 16 blocks remain without electricity because of isolated cable faults,” he said.

He explained that the first fault resulted from damage caused during trenching activities allegedly linked to the illegal installation of a sewage pipe across a Tshwane metro cable servitude.

“The depot attempted several times to repair the damaged cable, but these efforts were prevented by an illegally erected shack directly above the cable route,” Mashigo said.

He added that a second cable fault was later identified, but repair work has also been blocked by another informal structure erected on top of the municipal cable servitude.

“The illegal structures are preventing technicians from accessing the damaged cables. We are appealing for assistance to ensure access can be obtained so repairs can proceed safely,” Mashigo said.

A separate medium-voltage outage at the Heatherley Substation also affected residents of The Blyde River, Greencreek Lifestyle, and Savannah Country estates.

Mashigo said electricity had initially been restored after technicians tested the ring main unit supplying the estates.

“Power was successfully restored to the affected estates, although six blocks within Savannah Country Estate remain affected due to faults on the network supplying those sections,” he said.

However, fresh reports received indicated that the electrical panel tripped again, resulting in another outage affecting the estates.

“Technicians were unable to investigate overnight because of fatigue after extended operations but returned to site this morning and are currently conducting investigations,” Mashigo said.

Meanwhile, planned maintenance aimed at strengthening electricity infrastructure continues in parts of Silverton.

Mashigo said repairs are underway on a faulty medium-voltage cable between Panel 10 and the Skilder/Fascia mini-substation to improve the stability of the Silvertondale industrial network.

“Electricity supply has been maintained through backfeeding while test teams have located the cable fault. Excavation, identification and spiking have been completed, with permanent repairs expected once material-related challenges are resolved,” he said.

Additional planned work is also under way at the Waltloo Substation to repair faulty and stolen medium-voltage cables supplying the N4 Gateway Business Park and Nellmapius Ext 4.

In Mamelodi, several block outages have already been resolved after technicians replaced overloaded high-tension fuse links and reset mini-substations that had tripped due to excessive electricity demand.

Mashigo said many of these outages were linked to bridged electricity meters supplying backyard dwellings, placing excessive strain on transformers and mini-substations.

“We continue to urge residents to regularise their electricity connections and make payment arrangements where necessary. Illegal connections and bridged meters place significant pressure on the network and increase the risk of transformer failures, prolonged outages and safety hazards,” he said.

The metro said technicians remain on site at outstanding faults and will continue restoration work as soon as conditions allow.

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