The City of Cape Town said it was not to blame for a power outage that left many suburbs in the dark on Monday evening. Eskom is investigating the cause.
The lights went out from 6pm without any warning. Affected areas included Table View, Parklands, Goodwood, Kraaifontein, Brackenfell, Plattekloof, Edgemead, Big Bay, Elsies River and Durbanville.
Alderman Xanthea Smith, the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Energy, said the outage hit areas supplied by Eskom and areas supplied by the City.
“It is unclear what the cause of the outage is and Eskom is investigating this, but the City can say with certainty that all of the City infrastructure is in service and working,” Smith said.
She said power was back in all City areas by 11pm. According to Smith, this suggests the fault was not on the City’s side.
IOL asked Eskom for comment but did not get a reply by the time of publication.
Smith said the City does regular planned maintenance across the metro. She said most outages are not caused by old or weak equipment. Instead, she blamed theft, vandalism and illegal connections that damage the network.
“The City takes upkeep and reliability of its electricity infrastructure seriously. We are investing R6 billion through our medium-term capital investment programme to strengthen the electricity distribution network across the city,” Smith said.
She asked residents to report theft and vandalism of power equipment to the City and to the South African Police Service as soon as they see it.
Smith said the City is making its grid harder to damage. The work includes welding, protective concrete barriers and cages around equipment. She said the City cannot promise that these steps will always work.
Smith also spoke about streetlights. She said fixing and maintaining them remains a key service for the City.
In the current financial year, the City has set aside R75.5 million to upgrade and grow its streetlight network.
According to Smith, the City looks after more than 245,000 streetlights. She said it aims to keep about 90% of them working as far as possible.
She said cable theft, vandalism and illegal connections also damage streetlights. This can leave people walking or driving at night without enough light.
Smith called on residents to support the City by reporting any suspicious or unlawful activity that affects municipal infrastructure.
Source: this article is based on reporting by IOL. Image: IOL. Written with the help of AI and published by the Tzaneen Voice News desk. See our Editorial Standards.
Kgomotso Maake covers news and politics for Tzaneen Voice. Kgomotso reports on government, Parliament, municipalities, courts, crime and service delivery across South Africa, with a close eye on how national decisions reach towns like Tzaneen and the wider Limpopo province. Stories are written in plain English and focus on the facts: who made the decision, what it means, and what happens next.