Power supply finally restored in Waterkloof after weeklong outage
The repair process was further complicated when a main water pipe was exposed during excavation. The Water and Sanitation Unit had to do a risk assessment.
Power supply was finally restored to Waterkloof on Wednesday night, bringing an end to a frustrating week-long blackout.
Tshwane metro spokesperson Lindela Mashigo confirmed that the team had successfully located the fault points and was actively addressing the issue.
“The root cause of the outage was identified as cable faults,” Mashigo said.
“Once we located the points of failure, we discovered that the trench area had multiple live cables, so the team proceeded with manual excavation to avoid further damage.”
Mashigo said that the repair process was further complicated when a main water pipe was exposed during excavation.
“As we were digging, we found a water pipe that had been covered by concrete,” Mashigo explained.
“For safety reasons, work had to be temporarily halted to allow the city’s Water and Sanitation Unit to assess the situation. The concern was the stability of the pipe in the confined space.”
He said following a risk assessment, the Water and Sanitation Unit decided to cut the water supply to the area temporarily to reduce pressure on the pipe.
Mashigo added that this allowed technicians to resume the excavation and complete the necessary repairs.
“The trench, more than 1.5m deep, was then properly shored [up] according to Occupational Health and Safety Act guidelines.”
These repairs come after Waterkloof residents were without power for over a week, sparking outrage.
The power outage occurred on April 3 and after a day’s reprieve, power went out again on April 6.
Since, according to residents, the area has been without power with no clear indication of when the situation will improve.
The outage affected several key components of Waterkloof’s electrical infrastructure, leaving large sections of the area without power.
The affected zones were major streets and intersections, including Victoria/Long, Sidney/Edward, and the Golf Club.
Councillor Shane Maas said the performance of the Electricity Department continues to deteriorate.
He added that this has been compounded by the new administration’s adjustment budget, which diverted funds away from essential service delivery towards vanity projects that only benefit the politically connected, leaving the broader community to suffer.
According to Maas, the systems that worked under Mayor Cilliers Brink’s administration are no longer operational.
He explained that outage-tracking systems are not being updated, and reports that once confirmed the department’s awareness of outages are no longer being produced.
“This is making it harder to identify and respond to new issues in real-time,” he said.
ALSO READ: Waterkloof residents left in the dark as power outages persist
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