Residents on 4th Road in Kew have been battling ongoing electricity supply problems for several weeks, prompting repeated complaints to City Power and intervention from Ward 81 councillor Joanne Horwitz.

Ward 81 councillor Joanne Horwitz highlights the Kew electricity outage concerns:
Horwitz said residents first reported that while City Power had attended to a pole-mounted transformer believed to be the source of the outage, electricity was not fully restored because not all three phases of supply were transmitting correctly. As a result, some households had working lights but no power to plugs, while others experienced the opposite. “Unfortunately, City Power technicians have been closing service tickets despite the problem remaining. As a result, residents have had to re-log and escalate this fault to me repeatedly. Throughout this period, I have, in turn, escalated each new ticket and continuously engaged with City Power officials telephonically, via WhatsApp messages, and in person in an effort to secure a lasting resolution,” said Horwitz.

She added that although some improvement had been reported on one side of the road, residents on the opposite side continued to experience unresolved electricity supply issues.

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City Power responds to the Kew electricity outage concerns:
Responding to the concerns, City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena said investigations by technical teams had identified a cable fault affecting the network supplying the area. “Following investigations conducted by our technical teams, the root cause of the ongoing electricity supply interruptions has been identified as a cable fault affecting the network supplying the area.

“City Power has taken note of reports from residents regarding a possible loss or imbalance of one or more phases supplying the area. At this stage, the reports have not yet been conclusively verified and will require further technical testing and on-site investigations.”
He added that preliminary findings from previous attendances indicated that intermittent phase loss may be occurring under certain network conditions. “However, because the fault does not consistently present itself, it has proven challenging to conclusively diagnose during routine inspections. Further assessments will be undertaken to determine the exact cause and extent of the issue.”

Mangena said the intermittent nature of the fault had complicated repair efforts. “Unlike a permanent fault, which remains visible and detectable during inspections, intermittent faults can temporarily clear before technicians arrive on site, making diagnosis more complex. In several instances, network equipment and supply readings appeared normal during testing, only for the fault condition to recur later under specific load conditions or network circumstances. As a result, technicians have had to conduct repeated investigations and monitoring to accurately identify the source of the problem and determine the most effective permanent solution.”

Addressing concerns raised by residents, Mangena said, “City Power understands residents’ concerns regarding the closure of service requests while supply-related challenges continue to be experienced. The closure of a service request, therefore, does not necessarily indicate that all underlying network issues have been permanently resolved, but rather that the specific call-out has been attended to and processed accordingly.”

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Mangena pointed out that City Power could confirm that electricity supply to the affected customers had been temporarily restored while further investigations into the underlying fault continued. “At this stage, City Power is unable to provide a definitive timeframe for the permanent resolution of the fault. Providing an estimated restoration timeframe before the investigations have been completed may create unrealistic expectations and potentially lead to further inconvenience for customers. City Power acknowledges the frustration, inconvenience, and disruption that prolonged electricity supply interruptions can have on households, businesses, and daily activities.”
Mangena concluded that residents could be assured that City Power remained committed to identifying and addressing the underlying cause of the recurring electricity supply challenges in the area.

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