Power supply to Ashlea Gardens, Alphen Park restored
The power outage, which first occurred on January 12, was caused by a cable theft incident that left residents in the dark.
After a week-long power outage, supply was finally restored to parts of Ashlea Gardens and Alphen Park on Saturday evening.
The outage, which first occurred on January 12, was caused by a cable theft.
Ward 82 Councillor Siobhan Muller confirmed that supply was restored around 17:00 on Saturday.
“The power outage affected Alphen Park, Waterkloof Park, and Ashlea Gardens,” Muller said.
Muller explained that the repair team faced challenges due to hazardous chemicals and insufficient oxygen levels in the tunnel where the cables were stolen.
According to Muller, engineers had to identify a second manhole on the line and obtain plans from Sanral to attend to the restoration of power.
“Approximately 300m of the cable was stolen,” Muller estimated.
Residents complained about facing financial losses and safety concerns.
According to a resident from Ashlea Gardens, Darius Zeederberg, the power outage started on Saturday and had been ongoing with no clear end in sight.
“This is frustrating for me and costing me a lot of money,” Zeederberg, an owner of a complex in the area, said.
“Residents in my complex are getting worried and threatening to move out.”
He said the outage was a challenge for his business.
Zeederberg said the power outage is not only affecting his business, but also his personal life.
“I work late hours and need power to function. This outage is crippling my ability to work effectively.”
Zeederberg also mentioned that their frozen food spoilt.
He stated that the outage was costing him financially, as he had to transport the food to his alternative accommodation.
“I had to pay for alternative accommodation for food,” he said.
Another resident, Emile van der Merwe in Waterkloof Park from the east of Pretoria, said due to no power, food was rotting in the fridge.
“I arrived home and all my food in the fridge was off.”
According to Tshwane’s X account, power supply to Ashley Gardens and Alphen Park has been restored.
“After days of patience and understanding by customers of Ashley Gardens and Alphen Park, power has been restored.”
“Such forbearance is not taken lightly by the city’s management.”
The post commended the artisans and EMS personnel for their careful and persistent work “under challenging circumstances”.
Tshwane metro spokesperson Lindela Mashigo said the power outage was due to cable theft and vandalism.
Mashigo explained that the repair work was complex due to the location of the site underneath the N1 highway.
“The Tshwane Emergency Services Department is conducting a risk assessment to determine the safety for repair workers,” Mashigo said.
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