Residents of Kariega and surrounding areas have been experiencing regular power cuts for some weeks now, and with load-shedding currently being suspended by Eskom, the residents have voiced their frustration. One anonymous business owner said the power cuts have reached a stage where they are not just an inconvenience, but a threat to their livelihoods.
“Small businesses are suffering the most in all of this, because when load-shedding was announced as being suspended, we were hopeful that at least we could resume consistent work and start making money again. But now, with these power outages, it’s like we’re back to square one,” she said.
A KwaNobuhle resident said the unplanned power outages cause a disruption with children, especially. “I have two children, one is in school and the other is still a few months old. When the power goes off unexpectedly, I cannot cook for my kids, or help my boy with his homework. And I saw an update on social media that the municipality is implementing power- saving cuts, but no one is explaining what that actually means, and how we should plan for it. It’s actually worse than load-shedding, because we can’t plan ahead. It’s unfair,” the mother said anonymously.
The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality has been struggling to provide power for the Despatch, Kariega and KwaNobuhle areas after a significant cable fault at the Mabandla substation. The municipality’s Mamela Ndamase explained what has been causing the many power outages in the area.
“On April 10, 2024, at approximately 18:00, a power outage occurred in the Kariega area owing to overloading on 66kV Mabandla/San Souci Line 2. The 66kV Mabandla/San Souci Line 1 was already out of service because of a damaged insulator caused by the falling of an earth conductor. Kite tail activities were identified as the primary cause of the fault. On April 11, 2024, at approximately 16:00, after repairs on the 66kV Mabandla/San Souci Line 1 were completed during testing of 66kV Mabandla/San Souci Line 1, a fault occurred, impacting the KwaNobuhle area and nearby regions. An investigation uncovered a fault on the 66kV cable between the Transition Yard and Mabandla 1 along the 66kV Mabandla/San Souci Line 1,” she said.
To mitigate this issue, Ndamase said, “Load reduction measures were implemented at the Mabandla Substation, leading to restoration of power to customers. Load reduction will be implemented daily until cable repairs are completed. Upon detection of the subsequent fault, immediate intervention was carried out by the directorate, including the separation of 66kV bus bars at San Souci Substation to minimize customer impact. Tollgate Substation remained unaffected during the fault. Additionally, protection settings at San Souci Substation were reviewed to prevent the fault escalation to Chatty Substation. A planned total shutdown for 12 hours is scheduled to conduct maintenance at San Souci 66kV Yard and Mabandla Substation, focusing on protection and bus bar separation philosophy to minimize customer interruption. Maintenance activities also include Toll Gate substation to water wash and 66kV yard. Pending confirmation from the relevant stakeholders, the outage date will be communicated in due course. Other interventions are also underway.”
More areas in the municipality have been experiencing power outages. Zwide residents were recently without power owing to the suspected tripping of the 11kv circuit breaker at Redhouse, Mgengo. The Walmer Location also had the same experience owing to the suspected tripping of the 11kv circuit breaker at Arlington, Steve Biko.
To report power outages, residents must make use of the following numbers: Southern Region (Harrower Road) – 041 506 5595, Northern Region (KwaNobuhle) – 041 977 1190/1192.
