Residents demand permanent solution to Maria Bronkhorst substation failure

Tshwane metro has denied claims that the Maria Bronkhorst mini substation is overloaded and that its recent failure was caused by interfering tree branches.

This as residents in Maria Bronkhorst Road in Ashlea Gardens have been at their wits’ end due to the consistent tripping of the mini substation.

Despite the issue being reported to Tshwane for over three years, no permanent solution has been implemented.

Resident Charlotte Durandt shared her frustration, saying that the substation trips have been a persistent problem since the construction of a hotel apartment complex and 16 unit flats on Selati Street.

She said she has been reporting the problem to the metro for more than three years with no response.

“The minute there’s wind, storms, or rain, the substation trips,’ she said.

Durandt added that the substation also trips during load-shedding, and in 2024, the area experienced a power outage that lasted 16 days.

Another resident, Logan Govender, said they have been sending emails to the municipality regarding the overloaded mini-substation to no avail.

“They keep adding more units without upgrading or maintaining the substation,” he said.

He added that the outages in the area last for more than a week.

According to Govender, in January and February they did not have power for eight days.

“During the outages we have to throw away lots of spoilt food, which is a waste and loss of money,” he said.

Ward 82 councillor Siobhan Muller said the mini-substation also supplies power to Nuwe Hoop Skool, a school for disabled children.

She said the children at the school mostly use electric equipment, and it becomes a problem during outages and load shedding.

“I know that Tshwane says the problem is the trees that are causing the trips when they grow longer, but they should schedule regular trimming,” Muller said.

Tshwane spokesperson Lindela Mashigo said that the mini-substation was installed during the establishment of regional boundaries and that maintenance is continuous and conducted as needed.

He said what caused the substation to trip were big tree branches that carry water during rainy conditions and sag on to the lines, causing faults that result in the circuit breaker tripping.

Mashigo added that the branches have been trimmed and there are no power outages currently.

“Trips were happening repeatedly until these stopped on 22 February, after the branch-cutting exercise.”

Mashigo denied claims that the substation is overloaded.

He said there are no load capacity issues and therefore no need to upgrade.

However, he acknowledged that there is a block of flats supplied through a non-compliant installation that needs to be investigated and corrected.

“The current capacity of the substation is sufficient to meet the demand of the surrounding area,” said Mashigo.

“There are two distribution circuit breakers with a combined normative maximum demand of 315 kVA, whilst the current maximum is 207 kVA, meaning there is still enough capacity left.”

To ensure a reliable and efficient electricity supply, Mashigo said trees are inspected and cut as and when the need arises.

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