6 days ago
Welverdiend residents endure days without power after substation failure — again
Thousands of residents in Welverdiend, Khutsong Extensions 5 and 6, and the Elijah Barayi Mega Housing Project have been left without electricity since Sunday, June 29, following yet another failure at the Frikkie van der Merwe Substation.
The ongoing Welverdiend power outage began at approximately 08:30 on one of the coldest mornings of the year. As of Tuesday, July 1, electricity had still not been restored, forcing families to endure freezing conditions without heating, hot water, or cooking facilities.
According to Merafong Municipality, the substation's transformer tripped due to overloading caused by increased winter electricity demand. Municipal Manager Dumisani Mabuza confirmed the transformer also suffered an oil leak, requiring factory-level repairs.
A replacement transformer is expected only by Thursday, July 3, leaving residents without power for up to five days. This marks yet another failure of the same transformer, which locals say has broken down multiple times in recent years without being replaced.
Despite these persistent issues, the municipality continues to approve new housing developments — including at the Elijah Barayi mega project — without upgrading the aging electrical infrastructure that services Welverdiend and surrounding areas.
Residents are outraged, particularly as most new occupants reportedly do not pay for services, according to council documents. In contrast, long-time residents, many of whom are diligent ratepayers, are left to endure the consequences of a collapsing system.
'We are tired of suffering in the cold while nothing changes,' said one resident. 'How can they keep building more houses without fixing the electricity problem?'
Adding to the frustration, local residents recently repaired damaged roads themselves after both Merafong Municipality and the Gauteng Roads Department failed to act.
The Herald contacted the municipality's communications manager Temba Fezani for further comment, but he had not responded by the time of publication.
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