Severe weather, vandalism related faults, load-shedding and secondary tripping, in June, sees City attending to 50 000 requests

The City of Cape Town said, for June 2023, it had attended to 50 000 service requests in its energy department.

Mayoral Committee Member for Energy, Beverley van Reenen, said the City’s teams attended to a record-breaking number of electricity service requests specifically triggered by the damage caused by severe weather, vandalism related faults, load-shedding and secondary tripping at the time.

PICTURE: Mitchum George

Van Reenen added that during this period, teams from various depots were dispatched to more than 10 areas at a time, including Valhalla Park, Hout Bay, Atlantis, Gugulethu and Langa among other areas.

‘’The record-breaking service requests that our teams attended to shows that we have been working around the clock to ensure that we assist residents as quickly as possible, despite the very challenging circumstances they face on a daily basis. The faults were due to damage to poles, damage from secondary tripping, and damage due to infrastructure vandalism under the cover of load-shedding darkness.’’

‘’The City has dedicated teams responsible for a number of electricity services in the metro. These include streetlight maintenance and repair teams as well as first line responders, among others.’’

‘’The City’s streetlight teams, in our Areas East, North and South attended to approximately 9 785 streetlight service requests in June alone. When residents report faults to the City, we ask that only one reporting channel is used, so that delays in attending to duplicate service requests are avoided as far as possible. We once again thank residents for their patience and for working with us,’’ added Beverley van Reenen, Mayoral Committee Member for Energy.

SUPPLIED: City of Cape Town

Van Reenen said the taxi unrest this week has also had an impact on its service delivery to communities.

‘’The taxi unrest this week has also had an impact on our service delivery to communities. However, City teams are on the ground, dedicated to delivering services and making up for lost time. We are attending to service requests with caution and with the assistance of City Law Enforcement.’’

‘’We are urgently working through the backlogs caused by the recent unrest. In some areas where teams are only able to operate with a security escort, it could also lead to delays in service requests being attended to. We apologise for any inconvenience,’’ she added.

 

Done By: Mitchum George