A prolonged power outage, which caused widespread disruption, financial strain and mounting frustration in Pretoria North, has left many residents reeling.

The outage, which was later confirmed to have been caused by a damaged underground cable, left households without electricity for extended periods.

While repair teams were sent to the site and excavation work began to access the faulty cable, many residents mentioned that the real frustration was not only the blackout itself, but the lack of clear and consistent communication during the crisis.

Ward councillor Quentin Meyer acknowledged the community’s anger and the serious impact the outage had on residents.

“This weekend’s power outage caused serious frustration in our community. Residents were without electricity for extended periods, food [went] rotten, businesses were affected, income was lost, and families suffered unnecessary financial strain,” said Meyer.

He explained that while technical teams were working on site to repair the damaged underground cable, communication challenges made the situation worse.

“The biggest challenge was not only the outage itself, but the struggle to get clear and consistent feedback while teams were busy on site.

“As councillor, I escalated every reference repeatedly and pushed for updates, but communication from technical departments must improve,” he added.

For many residents, the financial consequences were immediate. Mercy Gracia, who runs a small catering business from her home, said she had to throw away perishable stock worth thousands of rands.

“I lost meat, salads and desserts, everything that was prepared for weekend orders. My fridge and freezer were off for hours.

“No one compensates us for that loss. We understand that faults happen, but we need quicker updates so we can at least try to make alternative plans,” said Gracia.

Another resident, Clement Modiba, said the outage disrupted his family’s entire weekend and placed additional strain on already tight household budgets.

“We had just done our monthly grocery shopping. By the time the power came back, a lot of it had spoiled. With the cost of living going up, you can’t just replace groceries easily.

“What made it worse was not knowing how long it would take. We kept checking for updates.”

Meyer confirmed that he was on-site during the repairs and engaged directly with the technical teams.

He admitted that the nature of underground cable faults makes it difficult to provide exact Estimated Restoration Times (ERTs), particularly when excavation is required.

“Going forward, we need better preventative maintenance, faster response times, and clearer communication when major faults occur. Our residents deserve reliable service and accountability,” he said.

He emphasised that he will continue to push for improvements within the municipality to ensure that similar incidents are handled more efficiently in future.

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