Springs residents frustrated by unplanned electricity cuts
With outages happening weekly, Springs residents are demanding answers as frustrations grow over poor electricity supply and delayed repairs.
Unexpected power outages have been reported across various parts of Springs, catching residents off guard and raising concerns about the stability of the electricity supply.
Many say the frequent interruptions are taking a toll on both households and businesses. Some residents took to Facebook to ask about the cause of the outages.
Ward councillor Mike du Toit said the unplanned outages have become more frequent and frustrating, especially since the reduction in national load-shedding.
He has been engaging with the energy department since the JVA substation fire in 2020, meeting with municipal officials, Eskom representatives and energy experts in his roles as ward councillor and former Chamber of Commerce president.
Du Toit attributes the ongoing problems to a combination of technical issues and poor governance.
“The original sin is the incompetent management of state-owned entities by the central government, and the collapse of Eskom in particular,” he said.
He explained that recurring outages are largely caused by poor maintenance, ageing infrastructure, theft, vandalism, faulty transformers and overloaded circuits. While standard household voltage should be 220 volts, residents have reported dangerously fluctuating voltages as low as 170V and as high as 250V.
“This is a warning sign of deeper infrastructure problems,” Du Toit said.
He added that a key issue is the lack of 24/7 repair teams, which causes delays in restoring power.
“Outages often last longer than they should. Despite efforts from the opposition to push for shift systems and relaxed overtime rules for essential services, the city’s current structure has hollowed out service delivery.
“There are no quick fixes. Rebuilding and strengthening our infrastructure will take time and, unfortunately, more interruptions,” he said.
Selection Park resident Susan Schoeman shared her frustration with the Advertiser. She said the outages have become a nightmare for her and her daughter, who also lives in the area and is struggling with two young children.
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“It worries me that these outages might damage our appliances. It’s become the norm. Every Tuesday evening until Wednesday morning, we’re without electricity. It also happens on weekends when we don’t expect it at all,” she said.
Schoeman added that they avoid leaving geysers on due to the unpredictable supply.
“We have to wait a long time for the water to heat up again,” she said.
She also highlighted how power cuts pose safety risks.
“If there’s an emergency, it’s difficult to contact the police or an ambulance. It’s financially draining too. We have to order takeaways and sometimes can’t because our phones are on low battery.”
City of Ekurhuleni spokesperson Zweli Dlamini told the Advertiser that the outages are caused by cable faults. He said faults are investigated, identified and repaired as they occur.
“As the metro, we cannot predict when equipment failure, theft or vandalism might take place. Repairs and maintenance are carried out as needed across the City of Ekurhuleni, including Springs,” he said.
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