A three-day power outage due to a cable fault has left Verulam businesses and residents outraged on Saturday.
The Verulam Central Business District has been plagued by rolling mass power outages for a long time, said Johnson Chetty, eThekwini ward 106 councillor. He said that these unannounced outages can vary from 24 hours to several days.
Humza Desai, a property owner, said power outages occur around the same time every month during busy periods, adding that they were kept in the dark literally when it comes to the actual problem, location, and why it was occurring.
Desai stated that their backup lights only lasted five to six hours, and this ultimately results in huge losses during already muted trading conditions.
He said businesses wanted to get to the root of the problem.
“Other areas in Durban that we have experienced faults in, never have recurring problems, nor do the issues take any longer than the prescribed two to 24 hours. I would assume we are victims of sabotage and or substandard service providers. Some customers have to throw away their perishables, while others close during this time.”
Chetty explained that the cable and allied infrastructure are regularly failing due to a lack of adequate maintenance, leading to severe prejudice to business, residents, and even municipal and state institutions in the CBD.
“Businesses are losing profitability while workers are losing wages. The ripple effect on the people is vast as service delivery is severely compromised,” Chetty said.
He said that he had met with senior management in the electricity department over the years, but the common excuse is a lack of budget for such maintenance.
According to him, the situation is made even more dire as the Verulam CBD serves as the commercial hub for people from surrounding areas like Ottawa, Parkgate, Trenance Park, Inanda, and Canelands, etc.
Chetty said visitors needing medical services at the clinic, Sizakala Centre, the SAPS, the regional courts, the Department of Labour, and the metro police are routinely sent away as these institutions cannot function without electricity.
“It’s abundantly clear that eThekwini needs to get its act together and resolve the crisis in Verulam as the situation is worsening,” Chetty said.
In correspondence seen between the municipality and the councillor on Thursday, the power outage was due to a medium-voltage cable fault between the Wick Street substation and the Green Cat substation. Eight substations were also affected along Ireland Street.
According to Chetty, he was informed that the distributor substation on Moss Street substation was replaced with switch pillars following the failure at the substation.
He was informed that the switch pillars did not have tripping functionalities, which means that every time there is a cable fault, the municipality loses power to the larger area.
On Saturday, Chetty said seven substations in Verulam CBD still remained off.
“It’s abundantly clear to a lay person like me that the infrastructure is crumbling and cannot provide a stable supply. A new fault position has been located and is being attended to,” Chetty said.
Doctor Rancen Siphal, who has a dental practice in the CBD, said he has been turning patients away since Thursday, some with severe pain.
Siphal said all he could do was provide them with pain medication.
Some clients, according to him, were travelling a distance to the CBD for medical help, only to be turned away.
Siphal stated that some had taken a day off work, and business owners were taking the brunt of client dissatisfaction.
“My concern is the loss of business and my clients having to sit at home in pain. In the last five years, the electricity supply issue has deteriorated. It has nothing to do with infrastructure, but poor workmanship.
“Get rid of the contractors. They are killing businesses in the CBD, with clients now heading elsewhere. The business owners have to meet with the municipality to air their grievances once and for all before many of us shut down,” Siphal said.
