Meyerspark residents face 13-day power outage following Waltloo substation fire
Technicians in Ward 41 work to repair complex cable faults as municipal restoration efforts continue.
Residents in Meyerspark remain without power as uncertainty continues over when supply will be fully restored following 13 days of continuous outages.
The failure began on September 29 when the Waltloo substation caught fire, tripping a transformer at the Njala substation.
A 74-year-old pensioner from Meyerspark, Dion Carr, expressed frustration over how the prolonged outage has disrupted his daily routine, describing the situation as far beyond an inconvenience.
“I do not know when the power will be restored, and this is making my life not enjoyable,” said Carr. “If I did not want to live in civilisation, I would have done that by my own will, but now the city is forcing us to live in the old era where there was no electricity at all.”
Carr added that the power failure has severely impacted his quality of life.
“I cannot cook, I cannot wash, and food has been spoilt in the fridge. Who will pay for that? I am a pensioner and do not always have money. Who will buy me food as the food that I had has now gone to waste due to the unreliable power? We pay heavy rates and taxes, but we have to endure over two weeks of not having electricity that we pay for.”
Carr said residents are left to suffer without clear timeline updates.
“Some areas had power restored, but we are still without electricity and are not getting proper updates as to how far along repairs are or when they think power will be restored.”
Ward 41 councillor Ben Chapman said technicians discovered faulty cables in the Meyerspark supply line, which is delaying full restoration.
DESCRIPTION: Watloo substation gutted by fire.
He said technicians are currently rewiring from mini-substation to mini-substation. While some test clean, technicians find three or four faults on the cable upon reaching the next mini-substation.
Chapman said according to the latest progress report from the Waltloo depot, extensive repairs to the Murrayfield substation supply network are continuing.
“Although significant progress has been made and power has been progressively restored to most of the affected areas, the network remains damaged, and further testing and repairs are required.”
He added that the operation has proven particularly complicated because new faults are repeatedly discovered when the network is tested before being energised.
City of Tshwane spokesperson Lindela Mashigo said technicians are working to repair and restore power, noting that power has been restored to some areas in N4 Gateway and Nellmapius extensions.
“Customers still without electricity should report their outages through the city’s usual reporting channels.”
Mashigo said a major area outage affecting parts of Murrayfield, La Montagne, Meyerspark and Willow Park Manor is partially restored.
“The outage is linked to 10 separate open-circuit cable faults. Eight of the 10 faults have been repaired and power has been restored on a sliding scale, with only two MV boxes still outstanding out of an initial 32.”
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