Damaged pylon in Bushy Park cuts power to Gqeberha

The top piece of a pylon snapped on Wednesday in Bushy Park, causing another massive power outage in Gqeberha.

The pylon is located on the 132kW Chelsea–Arlington electricity line on a farm.

It is the third time a damaged pylon has caused a widespread outage this year.

The head of the electricity and energy political office, Ziyanda Mnqokoyi, was on site to assess the situation.

Municipal spokesperson Sithembiso Soyaya said officials were working to find a solution.

DA MP Retief Odendaal said apart from the inconvenience and financial losses to households, the impact of an unreliable electricity grid on business confidence in the city is immense.

He was on site on Thursday.

“What business owner in his or her right mind will invest in a city that does not have a reliable electricity supply? This municipality is now literally gambling with our livelihoods.

“When I exposed the compromised pylons early in February, the DA requested only one thing from the mayor (Babalwa Lobishe), which was to move money around on the budget to prioritise the emergency replacement of the compromised pylons on the line.”

The DA conducted an oversight visit to the pylon on Thursday.

“She (Lobishe) ignored this request. I warned her subsequently that the structural integrity of the pylons has been compromised to such an extent that some of the pylons could collapse at any time.

“We can’t continue on this trajectory.”

In the meantime, the municipality has introduced a rotational power supply system to provide limited relief to residents while repairs are under way.

Areas have been divided into four groups, with each receiving electricity for about three hours twice a day.

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