The Freedom Front Plus (FF Plus) has criticised the City of Tshwane for failing to provide a timeline for restoring electricity to affected areas of Centurion, which have been without power for over a week due to the Brakfontein Substation explosion.
The affected areas in Centurion include Heuweloord, Monavoni, Amberfield, Eldoraigne, Celtisdal and parts of Wierdapark.
FF Plus councillor Lenor Janse van Rensburg said while municipal technicians were working around the clock to complete the repairs, there was no set date by which the repairs would be completed.
“It is expected that the power will be off for at least the next three days,” she said.
Janse van Rensburg said that over the last few days, her party's branch chair in Ward 48, Martie Pretorius, provided food to more than 80 municipal workers busy repairing the substation.
Former mayor Cilliers Brink highlighted that the Brakfontein incident exposed deeper issues affecting various city areas, necessitating attention to budget allocation.
He said that during his tenure, the city was making strides in tackling the challenges, but progress was impeded when allocated funds were diverted elsewhere.
“There was a surge and because of a lack of surge protection there was an explosion. And this is the kind of problem that we have across the city that has to be addressed at the budget level. In fact, the city was getting there and some of that money was taken away,” he said.
Tshepiso Modiba, ActionSA Tshwane caucus spokesperson, said his party categorically rejects the baseless claims from Brink, “who falsely attempts to shift the blame for the recent power outages onto budget cuts in the City of Tshwane”.
“The DA's distortions are not only inaccurate but also fail to acknowledge the proactive measures being implemented to ensure the reliability of our energy and electricity services,” he said.
Modiba said the city under the leadership of the multiparty coalition is fully committed to the council-approved energy turnaround strategy.
“This comprehensive framework is designed to tackle energy challenges effectively, with the administration dedicated to restoring stability and efficiency to the power supply across the city,” he said.
Member of the Mayoral Committee for Utility Services, Frans Boshielo, said full restoration of electricity is expected from April 13, adding that some areas may be energised from April 10.
“All the work is highly dependent on successful testing of equipment and weather conditions. We appreciate your patience and understanding during this challenging time. The city will continue to provide updates as progress is made,” he said.
To date, he said, work completed include specialised cleaning using dry ice to remove excessive carbon at the substation and ring main units (T4s, which are distribution equipment) brought to the site to address damage to existing feeder cables.
Workers also dismantled damaged equipment and removed burnt cables.
Boshielo said: “The city's Energy and Electricity Department is working tirelessly to restore power, applying a phased approach due to the severity of the damage.”
He said the city’s investigation has determined that the root cause of the fire was theft and vandalism of control cables at the facility.