As Nelson Mandela Bay residents entered day five without electricity or water, progress has been reported on critical infrastructure repairs, while fresh concerns have been raised about the financial sustainability of the City’s Electricity and Energy Department.
On Friday, Nelson Mandela Bay Executive Mayor Babalwa Lobishe set a 14-day deadline to repair a collapsed power line that has caused widespread electricity and water outages since Thursday, 22nd January.
According to DA Nelson Mandela Bay Mayoral candidate Retief Odendaal substantial progress had been made on repairs to the Bethelsdorp–Greenbushes 132kV power line.
“I’ve just been onsite with Councillors Dries van der Westhuizen and Gert Engelbrecht. The sixth monopole is nearly planted, and the first pole has already been strung,” he shared on social media.
Odendaal confirmed that conductors had been placed on all poles and described the work as a “mammoth task” due to the difficult terrain.
“Great progress has been made, but contractors and municipal officials are hesitant to officially reduce the timeframe for reinstatement because of the complexity of the work. That said, I’m confident the line will be completed sooner than initially envisaged.”
He also pointed out that the municipality’s Electricity and Energy Department recorded a loss of R1.48 billion during the 2024/2025 financial year.
“This means that almost half of the City’s total rates income of R3.3 billion is being used to offset losses incurred by the Electricity Department,” said Odendaal.
He shared that electricity losses had increased exponentially over the past two financial years, to the point where the City now pays Eskom more for bulk electricity than it recovers through sales to residents and businesses.
“It is not only the lack of skilled and qualified officials that is hampering maintenance work. The department is factually bankrupt, which makes it virtually impossible to function effectively,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality confirmed that all six monopoles have now been successfully installed, with line stringing currently under way.
In a statement, the municipality said: “Three dedicated technical teams remain on site, working diligently to ensure the safe and efficient restoration of electricity supply.”
Nelson Mandela Bay Executive Mayor Babalwa Lobishe, together with Acting Executive Director for Electricity and Energy Bernhardt Lamour, visited the site today to oversee progress.
“Once completed, this critical infrastructure work will strengthen the electricity network, improve reliability and reduce the risk of future outages,” the municipality said.
The municipality also reported progress in restoring water supply following the operation of the Stanford Road Booster Pump Station.
“The Gelvandale Reservoir recovered to 27%, enabling the restoration of water supply to Ibhayi, Soweto-on-Sea, Zwide, KwaZakhele, Algoa Park and Swartkops,” the municipality said.
The Bethelsdorp Reservoir is continuing to recover, with water supply expected to be restored to most areas. However, residents in higher-lying areas — including Windvogel, Salt Lake, Hillside, Cleary Park, Salsoneville, West End, Sanctor, Jacksonville and parts of Bethelsdorp — may still experience intermittent supply.
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