Experiencing a loss of electricity is no strange concept to the residents of Bryanston.
Residents often take to social media on a reoccurring basis to complain about the almost daily power outages and 11th-hour maintenance notices. “How many day-long planned outages are you [City Power] doing in Bryanston? I see this tweet every time I look at your power. Do you realise this is during work hours and people need to make a living?” read a tweet by resident Maggie Roodt on 19 June.
City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena confirmed that the electricity distributor has received a number of complaints from customers in the area with regards to cable faults and cable theft. He added that the electricity distributor has also received a number of complaints from customers experiencing low voltages, which is a result of these cable thefts and faults.
Ward 103 councillor Vincent Earp added that residents must understand that the grid will be prone to issues such as low voltages and outages because the infrastructure is outdated and should have been replaced many years ago. “When cables are old and become problematic residents start experiencing a wide range of problems,” said Earp. Mangena noted that the distributor has carried out a number of maintenance jobs to repair the faults. “[This] means that several areas did not have electricity,” he said.
Mangena added that City Power does apologise for any inconvenience caused due to a loss of electricity but the maintenance must be done, especially to prepare and maintain the grid for the increased demand of electricity that comes with the winter season.
Ward 102 councillor David Potter added that because Bryanston is such a large area (spread over four ward councillors), it is fed by multiple incoming supplies and local distributors. “Whilst these planned outages are frustrating, and often come with little notice, City Power is required to conduct some to stabilise the supply,” said Potter. Potter added that the grid is constantly facing a number of challenges. “Just last year one of the main substations of City Power had a fire. Due to the fire and damage to equipment, City Power changed the feed to another substation to supply the area,” he said.
Both councillors encourage residents to remain patient and keep an eye on City Power’s Twitter page for updates on outages and maintenance notices.” City Power has improved greatly on their social media updates related to power outages. Even those residents not wanting to make active use of Twitter are encouraged to follow the basic service entities of the City to keep up to date with outages and basic City information,” added Potter.
You can find City Power on Twitter at @CityPowerJhb
Related articles:
https://www.citizen.co.za/sandton-chronicle/277671/city-power-ready-for-the-cold-front/
https://www.citizen.co.za/sandton-chronicle/276889/need-a-rates-payment-arrangement/
