Ina–Mari Hopley, a resident and small business owner in Vanderbijlpark (CW1), writes:
I write this email on behalf of many frustrated, angry, and exhausted voices, requesting urgent attention and support.
Hard Facts – Power Failures This Year Alone:
April 15–21: Major power outage across Vanderbijlpark due to cable theft and a faulty transformer at the Town substation, leaving the community powerless for an entire week. Businesses, including Slap Chips, had to discard meat, and residents had to travel long distances to meet basic needs.
April 9: Power outage caused a water crisis — making it impossible to cook, bathe, or clean children — while residents continued to pay full electricity bills.
May 15: The NE3 substation caught fire again. This was the second substation fire in two years, resulting in many days of power interruptions — even industrial areas were affected.
May 30: The Town substation near Curie Boulevard burned down again, the third time. Approximately 30 000 households were left without power.
We sat in darkness for days, sometimes weeks, without proper communication.
Local businesses suffer. I run Coo&Co, and we could not stay open — fuel for generators was prohibitively expensive.
For a community already under pressure, this is unbearable. There is no such thing as ‘planned maintenance’ here, only repeated negligence and failure.
We demand action:
1. Full upgrade of substations (NE3 and Town/Curie).
2. A preventive fire response plan with a maximum 24-hour reaction time.
3. Accountability – who is responsible, and why has this crisis not been resolved?
4. Financial relief or freezing electricity bills for households without power for longer than 48 hours.
5. Transparency – regular public reporting, updates, and accountability measures.
Petition link  here