City Power has resolved a potentially hazardous situation caused by suspected underground electrical bursts at the corner of Third and Melville roads in Hyde Park.
The issue was raised by a security guard at a nearby home, Haswell Zuma, who reported hearing repeated loud blasts and seeing smoke coming from beneath the pavement near a pedestrian walkway used by residents and schoolchildren travelling to nearby schools.
Read more: Cable theft leaves Bryanston streets dark
Zuma said the blasts, believed to have been caused by a faulty underground cable, had created a growing hole near the walkway and appeared to occur more frequently during rainy weather.
Following a media enquiry, City Power dispatched a technical team to conduct a preliminary inspection on March 4. City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena said the team identified the hole next to the pedestrian walkway as reported.
“The condition of the area suggests possible underground infrastructure damage, which requires further investigation to determine the exact cause and the type of electrical cable involved,” Mangena said.
“Following the preliminary assessment previously conducted by our technical team, further work was carried out on March 6. During this process, the team exposed the underground infrastructure to determine the condition and status of the cable in question.”
Also read: City Power attributes Ward 81 outages to cable damage and infrastructure failure
Mangena added that upon inspection, technicians established that the cable was not operational.
“As a precautionary safety measure, the cable was isolated. Once the isolation process was completed, the affected area was secured, and the hole adjacent to the pedestrian walkway was properly closed. The site has now been made safe for residents and pedestrians who frequently use the walkway.”
Mangena encouraged residents to log calls on citypower.mobi through the call centre on 011 490 7484 or via the toll-free number 0800 202 925. For escalations and status updates on logged calls, contact the toll-free number on 0800 003 156.
Follow us on our Whatsapp channel, Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok for the latest updates!
