Tshwane to buckle down on frustrating Willows substation and issues of flooding

The Tshwane metro said it was looking into regular power trips at the Willows substation, which leave the area in darkness for extended periods in Pretoria east.

"Earlier this week, I conducted an oversight visit in ward 46," corporate and shared services MMC Kingsley Wakelin said.

The visit determined which parts of the infrastructure were damaged and needed replacing.

He was joined by utility services MMC Daryl Johnston and ward councillor Peter van Heerden.

The substation feeds areas such as Lynnwood Manor, Meyerspark, LaMontagne, Willow Park Manor, Brummeria and other surrounding areas.

The prolonged electricity outages are caused by damaged infrastructure, allegedly caused by load-shedding, according to Wakelin.

Whoever made a mark on Group 13 is spot on. We are the black sheep of Tshwane. Willows substation is always tripping.

-- Nomathamsanqa Ndlovu (@adorned4purpose) July 5, 2022

We have been plagued with power outages in Willow Park Manor since Tuesday, the reference number is 22/1. The substation at Willows has a problem

-- Samukelisiwe Dlamini (@SamukelisiweD) October 1, 2022

@CityTshwane hello Guys - any idea what might be wrong in Lynnwood area with power? Ref450/12 - Loadshedding ended at 14:00. Willows Substation again? Regards

-- Derik Nel (he/him/his) (@NelDerik) November 12, 2022

"Our substations were never designed to be continuously switched on and off. The reality is that load-shedding has a damaging impact on our infrastructure and, as a result, residents will experience prolonged power outages."

He said one of the feeder cables at the substation had also been damaged and must be replaced with new 300m cables.

Wakelin said Johnston would oversee the project.

"On the bright side, three out of the four feeder cables are in operation to reduce the frequency of outages," he said.

The visit comes after residents suffered power outages two weeks ago because of power trips at the substation.

Its apparently the willows substation again, and yet no one has said anything to the residence

-- SuperWan69 (@superwerner37) April 14, 2022

The City is aware of the power supply interruption resulting from the Willows Substation due to a 132KV trip. Technicians have been dispatched. We will communicate the estimated restore time once we receive information of the team. We apologies for the inconvenience caused

-- City of Tshwane (@CityTshwane) April 5, 2022

What about Equestria? Willows substation tripped yesterday at 15:20 and still no power or updates

-- Siobhan Wissing (@ayits_shivii) November 13, 2022

Wakelin said residents also faced another challenge with the main water line valve leaking on Lynnwood Road.

"This leakage is resulting in flooding into a nearby residential complex, causing damage to properties."

He said the metro would repair areas of the complex to ensure the main valve was repaired.

"This work is difficult because of the position and space the team must work with. In the meantime, our teams will drain the valve chamber weekly to reduce excess water coming into the residential area."