The fire at the Town substation broke out on Monday (23/2) and left countless residents without electricity. The fire was allegedly caused by overloading and/or technical faults.

Political parties have called on the municipality to urgently communicate clear timelines for power restoration, finalise the investigations, and ensure every ward receives reliable services.

The areas which are affected are: Bonanne, Bophelong, Bophelong extensions, CW1, 2, 3, 5, 6, and NW7 smallholdings.

“The fire at the substation left large areas of Vanderbijlpark without electricity, and once again exposed the vulnerability of our ageing infrastructure,” said FF Plus Cllr Gerda Senekal.

“Residents and businesses cannot keep paying the price for poor maintenance and inadequate planning. Residents deserve stability, transparency, and basic service delivery that they can depend on.”

The 30 mVa transformer and cables have been damaged by the fire beyond repair, said the municipality in a statement. The team will commence with rigging the standby transformer to prepare for testing. 

“The estimated time of restoration will be communicated once testing is completed.148

Meanwhile, residents of the Vaal Triangle are still struggling with irregular refuse collection and expanding illegal dumping sites, despite the recent introduction of additional waste management vehicles by the Emfuleni municipality.

It recently announced the rollout of a leased fleet of 145 vehicles as part of broader efforts to address long-standing service delivery bottlenecks. Mayor Sipho Radebe officially unveiled the first batch on Monday, 16 February, at the municipal head office in Vanderbijlpark.

The initial handover included 25 vehicles: 15 pick-up trucks and ten sedans allocated to the public safety department. The fleet forms part of a 36-month lease agreement that includes full maintenance.

Mayor Sipho Radebe officially unveiled the first batch of vehicles. Photo: Facebook/Emfuleni Local Municipality

In the waste division, 15 compactors and ten skip loaders will be delivered in March, while 21 compactor trucks currently undergoing maintenance are set to return to service. The municipality aims to have 36 compactors operational by the end of April.

“The continued failure by Emfuleni municipality to provide waste removal services must be declared as a disaster that is putting people’s lives at risk,” said DA Cllr Dalene Venter. “The presence of new vehicles alone does not guarantee improved performance.

“Inconsistent refuse collection, despite new vehicles, needs to be stopped, and service for people to pay for a service not received is not discussable.”

Inconsistent refuse removal is a daily crisis, with waste being thrown all over the street and exposing people to health risks. Even with new vehicles again, the situation has not changed, she said.

• Have a news tip to share? Phone or whatsapp the OFM News Hotline: 066 487 1427.

OFM News/Zenande Mpame dg