Latest news with #MMCforUtilityServices
IOL News
01-07-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Tshwane's Boshielo dismisses DA's claims of increased power outages as electioneering tactics
City of Tshwane MMC for Utility Services, Frans Boshielo, responds to DA accusations about increased power outages in Tshwane, citing scheduled maintenance and neglect by previous administrations as the cause. Image: Oupa Mokoena / Independent Media Frans Boshielo, Tshwane's Member of the Mayoral Committee for Utility Services, has dismissed the DA's claims that the city is experiencing more power outages than during load shedding as nothing more than electioneering tactics. This follows DA finance spokesperson Jacqui Uys' statement that her party met with Tshwane officials amid widespread and ongoing power outages across the city. She said: 'Ineptitude and poor workmanship have caused continuous power outages across the City of Tshwane, with the city now seeing more power outages than during load shedding.' Uys said the coalition government's decision to prohibit officials from working on emergency power outages after hours has exacerbated the situation. She was referring to the new overtime policy, which restricts after-hours work and aims to cut excessive overtime payments while supposedly maintaining critical services. The city has previously denied that the policy, which took effect on April 1, would harm service delivery or lead to prolonged power outages due to limited staff availability outside regular hours. Uys said: 'While the administration cites cost control as the reason, a report presented to the city's finance committee revealed that R130 million in electricity revenue was lost in April alone, primarily due to power outages.' She cited an example of planned maintenance over the weekend, which was scheduled for four hours and affected most of eastern Pretoria. She claimed that the project was a failure, had to be rescheduled, and still left residents without power for up to 24 hours due to poor workmanship and problematic overtime rules. 'The DA supports the responsible management of overtime, and that work that needs to get done in office hours is done in office hours. It cannot be business as usual in case of emergencies where entire communities are left in the dark at a cost to both residents and the city,' Uys said. Reacting to the claims, Boshielo said: 'That statement by the DA is electioneering, they know for a fact that the City of Tshwane has published scheduled maintenance that needed to be done for the electrical network.' According to him, outages are not comparable to load shedding, and the issue stems from the outages needed to connect the Njala/N4 power lines, which affected the eastern part, as the network had to be switched off upstream to allow energisation. 'The fact of the matter is that this current administration communicated through official portals which the DA councillors are part of and instead of preparing the affected ward, they want to score cheap political points,' he said. He explained that before the current administration took office, the substations had been plagued by vandalism, theft, and inadequate maintenance budget allocation. In contrast, he said, the current administration has increased the maintenance budget, enabling scheduled maintenance, unlike under the previous DA administration led by former mayor Cilliers Brink. 'The withdrawal of static security personnel by the DA administration exposed the city's infrastructure to vandalism and theft. Illegal connections of electricity are also contributing to electrical network overload and tripping, but the current outages, as I have said, do not surpass load shedding, as the DA alleged,' Boshielo said. [email protected]
The Citizen
23-06-2025
- General
- The Citizen
City technician recovering in hospital after electric shock
A Tshwane electrician who suffered an electric shock while conducting tests to locate a faulty cable in Equestria on June 17 is reported to be in a stable condition, according to the metro. Spokesperson Lindela Mashigo said the injured technician is being monitored after he was airlifted to Milpark Hospital, Johannesburg on June 18. The incident occurred during restoration efforts following a widespread outage that affected several suburbs in the east on June 16. The outage was linked to a trip at the Wapadrand Substation. Technicians were deployed the next day and traced the issue to a cable fault. However, while the team was conducting tests to pinpoint the fault, one of the electricians suffered an electric shock and sustained burn injuries. The substation transformer also tripped again. Emergency services were called immediately, and the injured worker was stabilised on site before being transported to hospital for further care. MMC for Utility Services Frans Boshielo, accompanied by senior managers, visited the technician on June 18. Boshielo said the visit was to assess the situation and give support to the family. 'Our technician was unfortunately injured by electrical equipment whilst on duty,' he explained. Boshielo said they met with the family at the hospital, who said they appreciated the presence of the city's officials. 'While it's still early to give any comment about his condition, we were nonetheless assured of the best care possible that is being afforded to him,' he said. Boshielo expressed his appreciation to the staff at Milpark and the family. 'In the meantime, we must allow him time to recover and to keep our colleague and his family in all our prayers.' He added that as the Energy and Electricity Department, they were anguished by the incident and wished their colleague a speedy recovery. 'We wish to inform our staff who need counselling to inform their managers so that they can be assisted as soon as possible. Safety of our employees is of importance, and we will comply with the OHS Act, Act no 85 of 1993 requirements.' Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to bennittb@ or phone us on 083 625 4114. For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord's websites: Rekord East For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram or TikTok. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading! Stay in the know. Download the Caxton Local News Network App Stay in the know. Download the Caxton Local News Network App here
The Citizen
28-05-2025
- General
- The Citizen
Centurion power supply fully restored after gruelling repairs, says metro
Power supply has been restored to all parts of Centurion previously affected by the explosion at the Zwartkop Substation on May 20, according to Tshwane metro spokesperson Lindela Mashigo. The incident involved the explosion of Transformer 1A at the substation, which resulted in widespread outages across multiple areas, with some residents enduring more than a week without electricity. Mashigo said the restoration comes after a gruelling eight-day repair process. Zwartkop Substation fully operational. — City of Tshwane (@CityTshwane) May 28, 2025 'The city's energy and electricity technicians worked around the clock through a strenuous cable installation and connection process,' he said. He stated that once that process was complete, the team had to undertake the complex task of modifying the Cable End Box, which serves as the connection point between the cables and the main transformer. 'This task was complicated by the fact that the end box's original components were manufactured in 1972. 'Some of the parts had to be imported from other countries to complete the modification,' said Mashigo. He encouraged any residents who may still be without power to report the issue through the city's normal complaint logging channels. Mashigo expressed appreciation for the patience, co-operation and understanding shown by affected residents during the extended outage and apologised for the inconvenience caused. Before the full restoration, the metro had already managed to restore electricity to some areas. On May 21, MMC for Utility Services Frans Boshielo explained that the explosion had also tripped the Lyttelton Line 1 at Njala, affecting electricity supply to parts of the network served by the Wingate, Aries, and De Hoewes substations. At the time, he stated that technicians were able to stabilise those lines and successfully restore supply to the affected zones. However, other areas, including Zwartkop, Valhalla, Clubview, parts of Claudius, the military base in Thaba Tshwane, and the Zwartkop Airbase, remained without electricity. Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to bennittb@ or phone us on 083 625 4114. For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord's websites: Rekord East For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram or TikTok. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Citizen
21-05-2025
- General
- The Citizen
Power supply restored to parts of Centurion after substation explosion
Power supply restored to parts of Centurion after substation explosion While several areas in Centurion remain in the dark after a substation explosion on May 19, the Tshwane metro has managed to restore supply to some areas. The incident, which occurred around 05:50 on Monday, involved the explosion of Transformer 1A at the Zwartkop Substation, leading to a power outage across multiple areas. MMC for Utility Services Frans Boshielo confirmed that the explosion also caused a trip on the Lyttelton Line 1 at Njala, initially cutting off Wingate, Aries, and De Hoewes substations' supply. Boshielo said that the supply has since been successfully restored to those three areas. However, residents in Zwartkop, Valhalla, parts of Claudius, Clubview, the Military Base in Thaba Tshwane, and the Zwartkop Airbase remain without electricity. He said the metro's Energy and Electricity Department continues with restoration efforts in these areas. 'The teams are working tirelessly to restore supply to all affected consumers as swiftly and safely as possible,' he said. The current work to restore power to the affected areas is extensive. Boshielo said the process involves testing of Transformer 2B, oil sample analysis sent to a laboratory, and the replacement of damaged infrastructure, including 630mm high-tension cables and crucial control cables required for the substation's protection grading. 'Full transformer protection tests are also being carried out to ensure operational safety of the transformer and proper protection grading of the substation.' He noted that repairs on the Lyttelton/Kwagga Overhead Line 1, which was also damaged by fire, are scheduled to begin on May 20. 'I would like to extend our appreciation to all residents and businesses for their patience, co-operation, and understanding during this time,' said Boshielo. He added that the metro team will provide updates every day at 19:00. Tshwane spokesperson Selby Bokaba said that the destruction of the 630mm high-tension cables and essential control cables has significantly complicated the repair efforts. 'These control cables are essential for the protection of the substation,' said Bokaba. He emphasised that the fire damage to the Lyttelton/Kwagga Overhead Line 1 necessitated the disconnection of the line by the sub-transmission team. Bokaba provided a cautiously optimistic outlook, stating that overnight work yielded positive results. 'Transformer 2B test results have tested positive and are ready to be used,' he said. He stated that the next step in the process will involve replacing the stolen single cores and multicores for Transformer 2B. Despite these advances, he stressed that the estimated time for full power restoration will only be communicated once the majority of the repair work is completed. ALSO READ: Fire drill tests hospital's emergency readiness Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to bennittb@ or phone us on 083 625 4114. For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord's websites: Rekord East For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram or TikTok. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
