Residents living near Bernard, Jonkershoek and Schoongezicht roads have endured recurring power outages for more than two years, with City Power attributing the problem to ageing underground infrastructure rather than a single faulty mini-substation.

The outages have become a persistent frustration, with electricity often restored only for the same areas to experience another outage days later.

According to Ward 86 Clr Chantelle Fourie-Shawe, the situation has worsened significantly over the past six months. She believes a full investigation is urgently needed into the electricity network serving the area, including the mini-substation on Gordon Road, which residents have identified as a recurring point of failure.

“Based on feedback received over this period, the recurring point of failure appears to be the mini-substation near 132 Gordon Road.

“While individual faults have reportedly included blown fuses, cable faults and other equipment failures, the frequency of these outages suggests there may be an underlying problem requiring a more detailed technical assessment.

“The outages usually last a couple of days, and I estimate residents have been without electricity for about 30 of the past 90 days,” Fourie-Shawe said.

She added that she had written to City Power requesting feedback on the root cause of the outages, the findings of its investigations and any planned infrastructure upgrades.

However, City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena said the recurring outages are not caused by a single fault but by a combination of technical and external factors.

He explained that the electricity network serving the area was installed in the 1970s and consists of ageing underground medium- and low-voltage cables and associated equipment that have reached, or are nearing, the end of their operational lifespan.

“Technical investigations indicate the recurring outages cannot be attributed solely to the mini-substation on Gordon Road.

“While the mini-substation forms part of the electricity supply network serving the affected areas, investigations have found the broader underground cable network and associated electrical equipment have experienced recurring failures over time,” Mangena said.

Addressing questions about why previous repairs have not provided a lasting solution, Mangena said each repair is aimed at restoring electricity safely, efficiently and in line with engineering standards.

He explained that while faulty sections of the network are repaired or replaced, other sections of the ageing underground cable network can still fail because of age, environmental conditions or previous overloading. As a result, new outages may occur elsewhere on the network even after earlier repairs have been completed successfully.

Mangena said City Power takes pride in delivering quality workmanship and ensuring repairs meet the required technical standards. However, he acknowledged that isolated repairs alone cannot resolve the challenges posed by ageing infrastructure and that a lasting solution will require phased infrastructure renewal.