City Power appoints contractor as Bramley Park outage continues
Residents continue to live in dark with mounting fuel costs to run generators following repeated failed repair attempts by the utility.
Bramley Park residents are still waiting for electricity to be restored as an outstanding cable fault affecting Beryl Avenue and Minerva Street remains unresolved.
In its latest customer alert, the utility confirmed that an estimated time of restoration was not yet available and would be communicated once established. The development follows a response to a Sandton Chronicle media enquiry on October 28, in which City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena said the utility anticipated restoring electricity to all affected customers by October 29, provided the outstanding work proceeded as planned.
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At the time, Mangena confirmed that electricity had been restored to approximately 98% of affected customers, with the remaining work focused on replacing a faulty switch and completing testing. However, City Power’s latest update indicates that further complications have delayed the restoration process.
The outage, first reported on October 17, was initially attributed to a vandalised switch at the Gresswold substation, which supplies the affected streets. City Power said its teams sourced the necessary materials and completed initial repairs, but the switch failed to meet the required test results, necessitating a replacement.
While the replacement equipment was being sourced, the distributor also tripped, affecting electricity supply to Bramley, Bramley Park and parts of Bramley North.
Teams managed to backfeed the network, restoring supply to the affected areas and bringing the overall restoration level to approximately 98%. However, the remaining two percent continued to experience an interruption linked to the faulty switch.
Although a replacement switch was subsequently secured and installed, further testing again revealed problems. City Power said fuses were installed and additional tests conducted, but the equipment continued to fail to meet the required standards.
The utility has now appointed a contractor to assist with the outstanding cable repairs, with no confirmed restoration time available.
The prolonged outage has left affected households dealing with spoiled food, a lack of hot water, generator expenses and growing security concerns.
Also read: Planned power outage set for Parkmore
Ward 91 DA councillor candidate Heather Trumble previously told the Sandton Chronicle that residents were frustrated by repeated delays and assurances that repairs had been completed, only for further problems to emerge during testing.
Resident Darren Bell also highlighted the financial burden of running generators, which he said cost more than R500 a day in fuel, as well as concerns about streetlights and household alarm systems losing power.
City Power has urged affected customers to treat all electrical points as live at all times, warning that this is necessary to prevent incidents associated with inrush current and network overload when electricity is restored.
The utility reiterated its commitment to restoring supply to all affected customers as safely and quickly as possible.
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