Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Estelle Ellis
Published on 2024-03-04 20:47:04
Large parts of Nelson Mandela Bay, including the industrial area, experienced power outages throughout Monday. The municipality attributed the outages to “misty weather” causing several substations to trip. However, the acting city manager, Luvuyo Magalela, who also heads the electricity department, informed executive mayor Gary van Niekerk that the outages may have been caused by the misty conditions, but the city’s fibre optic network, used for monitoring the electrical system, was damaged when a burning tire was placed in a manhole.
The municipality’s annual report disclosed the installation of an extensive underground fibre optic network and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (Scada) requirements linking over 80 major high-voltage substations and other buildings. An official notice from the metro requested residents to be patient as the high-voltage substation required water washing on 132/11 kv busbars before power supply restoration.
Video footage captured sparks shooting off the electricity lines at the high-voltage substation. The metro’s call center also went offline on Monday, adding to the challenges faced by residents in the area.
Since February 1st, the metro has reported 39 unscheduled power outages due to various reasons such as a fire at the Arlington substation, a cable fault in Algoa Park, and an emergency shutdown of electrical infrastructure in Humewood. The Democratic Alliance council leader, Retief Odendaal, raised concerns in a letter to Van Niekerk about the electricity department’s challenges, including a 60% vacancy rate with 696 vacant posts.
Odendaal highlighted the need for maintenance, repairs, and upgrades to older substations, along with addressing the backlog of faulty streetlights in the city. The lack of a coherent plan to address these issues has left communities in the dark and exposed to risks. The letter emphasized the importance of eradicating unsafe temporary connections that pose dangers to the community.
The communication breakdown between officials and councillors has resulted in poor crisis communication and a lack of information provided to residents during extended outages. Odendaal requested a list of the most vulnerable electrical substations needing additional funding for infrastructure upgrades, but received no response to the letter.
The metro’s electricity department has been under scrutiny following a major corruption scandal linked to an explosion at the Coega substation, which caused extensive damage. The investigation led to the suspension of several senior members, including the city manager and the chief operating officer.
The challenges facing the electricity department have been exacerbated by constant load shedding and inadequate maintenance, putting the municipality’s license to provide electricity at risk. The business community in Nelson Mandela Bay has expressed concern over the impact of power outages on industrial areas and manufacturers, leading to production delays and additional costs.
It is crucial for the municipality to prioritize regular maintenance and infrastructure upgrades to ensure a reliable and sustainable electricity supply for residents and businesses in Nelson Mandela Bay. The issues raised by Odendaal and the business community highlight the urgent need for action to address the root causes of power outages and ensure the quality and reliability of electricity supply in the region.
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