Tshwane restores power to some parts of city
“The City of Tshwane has made significant progress towards the restoration of power to residents in Pretoria east and north.”
The Tshwane metro has managed to restore electricity supply to some parts of Pretoria North.
This was according to newly appointed MMC for utility services and regional operation & coordination councillor Themba Fosi.
Fosi applauded the metro electrical department for its swift response in dealing with the Njala line crisis.
He said the municipality’s team made up of dedicated men and women made great strides to make sure that electricity was back on, in certain areas.
“The City of Tshwane has made significant progress towards the restoration of power to residents in Pretoria east and north, with new areas being energised every few hours today.
The City is communicating regularly as the list of suburbs having electricity restored increases.”
The MMC however, said that the damage to the Njala system was extensive and would require the municipality to rebuild the connections before it is energised.
“The City is actively working, both with internal teams and with Eskom, to restore electricity in a two-pronged approach. Internally we are working to back feed (reroute) our power supply.
Externally, we are working with Eskom to replace the electricity pylons that fell over.”
In addition, Fosi warned residents that they may experience trips as technicians were working on ensuring there was a balance in a system in order to be able to provide electricity to as many areas as possible.
“To this end, I’d like to ask that residents use electricity as sparingly as possible, particularly around evening peak periods from 17:00 – 21:00. These are extreme circumstances, and we need to work together to limit the load and likelihood of further problems,” the MMC said.
Furthermore, Fosi said despite what the team has done, there were areas that were still without power but he assured residents that once the pylons were rebuilt, they will be able to get the power back.
The following areas were still without electricity as of Wednesday: Baviaanspoort Prison, Boschkop, Bultfontein, Derdepoort (Zambezi Manor), Donkerhoek, Doornpoort, Eersterust, Glenway Estate, Kameeldrift, Koedoespoort Industrial, Leeuwfontein, Mamelodi, Montana Park, Moregloed, Pumulani, Roodepark, Sable Hills, Silverton, Sinoville, Vastfontein extension, Waltloo, Waterval, Waverley, Woodlands and Zeekoegat
On the dismantling of the current structures, Fosi said the municipality has received the necessary permits which allowed it to dismantle the fallen pylons.
“The work on dismantling the structures has begun but will take some time due to the size of the structures,” added Fosi.
The MMC said the municipality needs about 24 full monopoles which will be sourced by both the power utility and the metro’s suppliers, which will include 14 poles to replace the seven lattice structures, as well as an additional 10 monopole pylons to use between the main structures.
“Procurement on this work is being done on an emergency basis, and we are pushing to secure stock as soon as possible and to get it on site as fast as possible.”
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