City of Tshwane announces an eight-hour power outage on Tuesday

The City of Tshwane has announced an eight-hour planned electricity supply interruption affecting several areas in Soshanguve next week.

The city’s Energy and Electricity Business Unit will cut power on Tuesday, 20 October, to carry out critical electricity infrastructure refurbishment at the W Substation in Soshanguve.

The city’s Communication, Marketing and Events Department issued the media alert on 12 October.

Areas affected by the Tshwane power outage

According to the City of Tshwane, the outage will run from 8:00 until 16:00 and will affect the following areas:

• Soshanguve Block X
• Soshanguve Block V
• Soshanguve Block W
• Parts of Soshanguve Blocks KK, SS and R

The city said technicians will also energise the 11kV underground cables connected to the newly refurbished W Secondary Substation in Soshanguve as part of the work.

The municipality described the refurbishment as proactive work that forms part of ongoing efforts to improve the reliability, safety and continuity of electricity supply in the area.

The city also referred to the maintenance as rescheduled work, which suggests it had planned the refurbishment for an earlier date.

City urges residents to prepare and stay safe

The City of Tshwane urged affected customers to make the necessary arrangements to minimise the impact of the planned interruption.

Residents may want to charge their phones, power banks and rechargeable lights before 8:00 on Tuesday. Households can also prepare meals and boil water ahead of time and keep fridge and freezer doors closed to help food stay cold for longer.

Small businesses that depend on electricity, such as spaza shops, hair salons and car washes, may need to adjust their trading plans for the day.

The city urged customers to treat all electrical installations as live throughout the duration of the interruption. Residents should not touch, repair or tamper with any electrical equipment or cables while the work is under way.

The city apologised for the inconvenience the work may cause.

How to report power outages in Tshwane

Residents who experience problems with their electricity supply can contact the City of Tshwane through the following channels:

• Customer care centre: 012 358 9999 and choose option 3
• SMS: Send the word “power” followed by your account number to 082 612 0333 or 44676