City teams are working around the clock to restore power after severe storms. Picture: Supplied / City of Cape Town
Cape Town is facing major power outages after severe storms hit the area, leaving the City's electricity teams struggling to keep up with repair requests.
On Monday, July 15, about 2,500 electricity fault reports were logged, in addition to the 4,000 requests received last week during the peak of the storm.
Alderman Xanthea Limberg, Mayoral Committee Member for Energy, assured residents that emergency repairs and large area outages are being prioritised.
“Our dedicated teams are attending to a large number of service requests in the metro. We are prioritising all storm-related infrastructure damage, large area outages and emergencies electricity faults.
“The City reminds residents that due to the large number of electricity storm repairs and emergencies, all street light-related faults will be attended to as soon as staff and resources are available. The City apologises for any inconvenience caused,” said Limberg.
The storm caused major damage, especially in Area South, which had 3,000 fault requests last week.
While many outages have been resolved, repair efforts continue across several impacted areas, including:
Steenberg
Lansdowne
Observatory
Philippi
Constantia
Retreat
Nyanga
Manenberg
Heathfield
Brackenfell
Wetton
Heinz Park
“We thank residents for their patience and for working with us during this challenging time. Residents are urged to report their electricity faults to the City by using our convenient service channels and our new WhatsApp line, but please use only one channel to report a fault,’’ said Limberg.
Repairing the extensive damage caused by the harsh weather is challenging and often unsafe for City Energy teams, particularly when using aerial platforms in strong winds. As a result, street light repairs and other minor faults will be addressed once emergency and large area outages are resolved.
Property owners should be prepared to grant City Electricity staff access to their properties for repairs. Staff will carry identification cards displaying the City logo, name, and photo. Residents can verify staff credentials by calling the City’s Call Centre at 0860 103 089.
The City is dealing with more cases of theft and vandalism of electricity infrastructure during the outages. Residents are asked to report suspicious activity to the City’s Public Emergency Communication Centre at 021 480 7700.
Residents are advised to unplug grid-connected inverters and turn off high-power appliances like geysers and heaters to help restore power faster. This prevents system overloads and tripping when power is restored.
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