City Power replaces damaged Bryanston mini-substation after vehicle crash

Power has been restored to residents near the intersection of Devonshire Avenue and Bryanston Drive in Bryanston after City Power replaced a mini-substation damaged in a vehicle collision on August 22.

All affected customers were reconnected on August 29, following the completion of City Power’s insurance claim process and the replacement of the equipment.

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The outage left residents without electricity for more than a week after an assessment revealed that about 90% of the mini-substation’s components were damaged beyond repair.

Responding to a Sandton Chronicle media enquiry on August 26, City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena said technicians assessed the damage on August 24.

“The assessment found that approximately 90% of the mini-substation’s components were damaged beyond repair during the collision,” Mangena said. “The unit therefore needs to be completely replaced before electricity supply can be fully restored to the affected customers.

“City Power is currently finalising the insurance claim process, which will enable the procurement of a replacement mini-substation,” he added. “Once the replacement unit has been delivered to site, the appointed contractor will commence with the replacement and installation process to restore electricity supply to the affected customers.”

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At the time, Mangena added that no temporary measures were in place to restore electricity to the remaining affected customers. “Customers who remain without power will continue to be affected until the damaged mini-substation has been replaced and energised.”

On August 31, City Power confirmed that following the successful insurance claim, the mini-substation was replaced and energised, and affected customers were restored on August 29.

Ward 103 councillor Lynda Shackleford had expressed concern about the repeated damage to municipal infrastructure caused by vehicle collisions.

Shackleford highlighted concerns about speeding in the area, saying that the mini-substation at the intersection had previously been hit by vehicles.

“My biggest concern in the ward is that there are a lot of speeding vehicles,” Shackleford said. “I’m not saying this is what caused this accident, but this mini-substation has been hit twice by cars at this intersection.”

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Mangena said the power utility is considering additional protective measures to safeguard its infrastructure against future vehicle-related damage, but noted such measures cannot guarantee protection against future incidents.

He urged motorists to drive responsibly and obey traffic regulations when travelling through residential neighbourhoods to help prevent accidents and damage to critical electricity infrastructure.

The Sandton Chronicle previously reached out to Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) spokesperson Xolani Fihla regarding the street racing taking place in the residential areas in Bryanston.

Fihla said JMPD carries out regular patrols and specialised operations across the city to combat illegal street racing.

“Our High-Speed Unit and regional teams are deployed to known hotspots to enforce the National Road Traffic Act. Following this report, we will initiate an immediate investigation into these activities in Bryanston.”

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