Residents in east Johannesburg suburbs have suffered 144 power outages since January last year due to failures at the Observatory and Bellevue substations.
This astounding figure is revealed by Gauteng Cooperative Governance MEC Jacob Mamabolo in a written reply to my questions in the Gauteng Legislature.
About 100 000 people are affected in Observatory, Yeoville, Bellevue, Cyrildene, Bruma, Dewetshof, Bez Valley, Kensington, Malvern, and surrounding suburbs.
They have endured on average two power outages a week since a fire at the Observatory substation in December 2023, which also affected the nearby Bellevue substation.
According to Mamabolo, despite repairs and partial upgrades to both substations and associated cables, the electricity supply remains unstable due to:
• Aging and overloaded infrastructure
• Illegal connections
• Cable theft
• Loadshedding complications
Projects to improve supply include the replacement of one of the two High Voltage cables between the Observatory and Bellevue stations, and the second circuit is expected to be completed before the end of the financial year.
There has also been a reinstatement of a transformer at the Bellevue station.
There are plans to fully reinstate the Control Room at Observatory, and to put a Standby Board at Bellevue.
I am disappointed that further measures to stabilise power supply will not be done as City Power says they do not have the budget. They admit that Bellevue Substation needs to be upgraded, and several cables that have failed more than three times need to be replaced.
This is unacceptable as residents and businesses in the area are suffering not only frequent power cuts but also ongoing water shortages, making their lives a misery.
MEC Mamabolo says he will be urging the City of Johannesburg to implement a comprehensive and sustainable infrastructure plan that includes accelerated maintenance of secondary distributors, strengthening of security around vulnerable facilities, community engagement to reduce illegal connections, and clear communication to residents about outages and restoration timelines.
City Power has made promises to local residents that have not been kept. They should get their priorities right by rooting out widespread corruption and inefficiency to provide what they are being paid for.
I will continue to press for more effective measures to ensure reliable power in the area together with local DA Ward Councillors Carlos da Rocha and Neuren Pietersen.