Queenswood substation goes ‘up in smoke’ yet again

On the cold winter evening of June 25, a loud explosion rocked Dunstan Road in Queenswood.

For many residents, it was all too familiar: the same power substation that had failed repeatedly in recent months had once again gone “up in smoke”.

With it, power was lost to large parts of the community for yet another indefinite period.

This substation, which serves key areas in Queenswood, has become notorious for its instability, leaving residents and businesses frequently in the dark.

While initial reports suggest the power trip may have been easily resolved, help never came because of the metro’s policy on overtime.

“It is terrifying. The power is now thankfully back on. Sounds to me like the switch just tripped, but thanks to the city council’s ‘no overtime’ policy, no one could go out last night and flip the switch back on,” said resident Theana Olwagen.

Residents have grown increasingly vocal, reporting ongoing power outages that go beyond ordinary inconvenience.

In a statement sent to local officials, Olwagen outlined the depth of the crisis.

“As paying residents, we have consistently observed a lack of action from the city regarding these persistent outages. While power outages have regrettably become common in South Africa, many residents have invested considerable resources to make their homes as comfortable as possible, despite the circumstances. This is particularly frustrating considering our compliance with municipal rates, taxes, and other fees, as well as the fact that rates will be going up from July 1.”

In the last four months alone, Queenswood has endured power disruptions lasting up to 14 days at a time. One resident is keeping an Excel sheet noting complaints lodged on WhatsApp groups in the area.

Most recently, an outage that began on June 20 was briefly resolved on June 22, only to fail again hours later after a brand-new cable was installed at the same location.

Olwagen points to a deeper problem: the metro’s fault-reporting and maintenance systems are failing.

“I suspect that the city’s reporting system is currently facing challenges with closing tickets related to repairs, whether they have been completed or not. Consequently, we are unable to report this new issue, and we have learned that the depot was unaware of the recurring cable malfunction.”

Residents fear the system may be intentionally closing unresolved cases to create a false sense of progress.

Worse still, they fear follow-up practices have eroded into what many describe as what they see as only attempts to contact residents that do not translate into action.

“Historically, when a ticket was logged, officials from the metro would typically follow up within a day or two. Now, they seem to call, let the phone ring once, and then disconnect before the call can be answered.

“This approach enables the metro’s logs to reflect an attempted call without providing any actual follow-up,” confirmed Olwagen.

As of June 26, Webb Road has been without power for four consecutive days. However, this outage is not listed on any official metro communication channels or outage reports.

“It appears that the metro depot may be unaware that the same issue has reoccurred,” Olwagen noted. “Our specific area has not been mentioned in any of the situation reports on the metro WhatsApp channel. In fact, our ward councillor confirmed that the depot was unaware of Webb Road’s current outage.”

The damage goes beyond merely being in the dark.

Residents are facing measurable harm. Essential medical equipment, including oxygen machines, is at risk in power-dependent facilities.
Huis Herfsblaar, a senior care home, is reportedly spending hundreds of thousands per month on diesel to keep generators running. Appliances are damaged by power surges. Students are studying under poor lighting conditions. Food is spoiling in fridges and freezers during long outages.

“These issues are numerous and frustrating, especially considering that we contribute to the resolution of these problems through our rates and taxes,” said Olwagen. “While some households have opted for solar panels or generators, it’s important to recognise that these solutions are not accessible to everyone.”

The community is calling on the metro to urgently respond to enquiries, such as the following questions: What is the exact cause of recurring cable faults along Webb Road, especially given that a brand-new cable failed within hours on June 22? Are repair tickets being prematurely marked as resolved without verification?

The metro’s reports confirm the residents’ complaints. A progress report from the Prince’s Park Depot dated June 24, 09:00, listed:
– 2 medium-voltage area outages – both unresolved;
– 7 low-voltage block outages, including one in Queenswood (Fontana/Kirkby) marked as ‘unknown cause’ and ‘team to investigate’;
– 50 single complaints.

This lack of recognition of their troubles and complaints is deeply worrying to residents.

As per internal communications, reference numbers are supposedly escalated every four hours and addressed within 96 hours per the metro’s new norms and standards.

That is not happening in practice, according to residents.

Among these residents, there is rising talk of boycotting municipal fees and even legal action, with some consulting with lawyers and power supply specialists.

“I urge that immediate action be taken to address these grievances,” said Olwagen. “If residents’ frustrations boil over, it could lead to a protest that may have considerable, and entirely avoidable, consequences.”

After a utilities oversight meeting of the metro on June 20, DA Councillor Anru Meyer confirmed to Rekord that systemic issues within the energy and water departments are finally being acknowledged at senior levels.

“The 132kV cable infrastructure is failing. Each load point between substations adds new weak points and destabilises the entire network. We are pushing for a complete replacement and upgrade.”

According to Meyer, a group of residents is in discussions with private-sector electrical engineers to assess what a full network upgrade would cost.

His proposal is to recommission a dormant substation within Queenswood, which could offload pressure from the Blesbok substation and the industrial zone nearby.

A petition is being prepared to speed up the implementation of these plans, with the goal of having finance and groundwork in place by the end of the year.

Questions were put to the metro on the outages and residents’ complaints, but no response was received by publication.

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