More power cuts for Tshwane, claims councillor
“There are not enough technicians to help electricians speed up the process.”
A local councillor has cautioned Pretoria residents to stock up on candles and paraffin as power cuts are expected to run “into decades”.
ANC councillor in Mamelodi Joel Kgomotso Masilela ka Mahlangu recently said residents should prepare for “many” cold winter nights without any power.
#Poweroutage affecting #PretoriusPark, #FaerieGlen and part of #Olympus. Technicians on site to determine fault. No ETR as yet.
— City of Tshwane (@CityTshwane) June 15, 2018
“Pretorians, not just in the east, should brace themselves for a cold winter season as the Tshwane metro will be scheduling more power cuts,” he said.
He said the metro did not have adequate resources to immediately restore power when it went out.
“There are not enough technicians to help electricians speed up the process.”
Masilela ka Mahlangu said the metro should not blame the power cuts on load shedding or cable theft.
#WingatePark and #Garsfontein #poweroutage due to cable fault. The
estimated time of repair is 22:00 @Selbybok @SollyMsimanga— City of Tshwane (@CityTshwane) June 15, 2018
He said informal settlements that were mushrooming in the city were also a cause of power cuts.
“When people connect electricity illegally, that puts pressure on what we already have in terms of supplying electricity. The growing number of informal settlements is taking a toll on the metro’s electricity infrastructure,” he said.
Masilela ka Mahlangu claimed the metro did not treat township and suburb residents equally.
“People spend two weeks waiting for the replacement of transformers in townships. The metro keeps people in the townships in the dark,” he said.
“The DA administration in Tshwane is not working for poor, which is mainly black poor of Tshwane.”
The names of areas are posted on their Facebook page. Like the page👍🏾 pic.twitter.com/JRR8Xa7M9x
— Tumi (@telltumi) June 14, 2018
He said should a suburb in the east of Pretoria be without any electricity, the metro would make sure it was restored within a day if not few hours.
However, infrastructure MMC Darryl Moss said the metro was working on fixing these problems.
“We have started a number of projects that will help our residents especially those in the east who have been having power cut issues for the longest time,” he said.
Moss said in the east, Mamelodi was affected by overloading and old badly maintained infrastructure.
“We are upgrading a number of substations in Tshwane, and one we have completed is the Heatherly substation in Mamelodi. That will help ease with power cuts.”
Moss said illegal connections put a burden on the metro.
“If people connect on the grid, it puts a lot of pressure on us, it trips the substation.”
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https://www.citizen.co.za/rekord/173474/loadshedding-back-south-africans-react/
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