While most South Africans are enjoying an uninterrupted electricity supply after the end of load-shedding, residents of Louwlardia, east of Pretoria, cannot say the same.
They have endured constant power cuts, which they say were even worse over the festive season and lasted for days and weeks in some cases. They are now demanding that the City of Tshwane develop a permanent solution to address their electricity issues.
City of Tshwane spokesperson Lindela Mashigo said the electricity challenges in Louwlardia, experienced since October 2023, were mainly caused by sustained vandalism at the local substation and repeated theft of feeder cables.
Mashigo said criminal activities severely compromised the electricity infrastructure, resulting in prolonged and recurring outages that predated the current city administration. But the explanation for the city means little to residents, who say they believe the city is not doing enough to address their issues.
Resident Tumi Tsotetsi said since the city has identified the challenge, it was high time it addressed it. Tsotetsi, who works from home most of the time, said residents need a long-term solution from the municipality rather than temporary fixes.
“I struggle when the electricity goes off because it forces me to find other means to work,” Tsotetsi said.
Most of the streetlights along the road don’t work because of electricity problems, and cable theft and faults remain a major issue.
— Morne Lindeque, Golden Fields Estate manager
She often has to rely on friends’ homes to charge her phone or complete work and sometimes works from nearby coffee shops. “There were days when I couldn’t submit any work because there was no electricity.”
On Monday afternoon electricity was restored in Louwlardia after weeks of power outages that left residents in the dark during the festive season.
While residents have welcomed the return of power, many remain anxious about the stability of the supply. Tsotetsi said the restoration of electricity has brought relief but little reassurance, given the area’s long history of power disruptions.
Golden Fields Estate manager Morne Lindeque said the estate had been forced to prepare for ongoing power outages since 2021, when electricity supply became increasingly unreliable. “We use a generator and have installed solar inverters to support the estate’s security operations,” he said.
Solar-powered streetlights had also been installed to improve security, as many municipal streetlights were not functioning. “Most of the streetlights along the road don’t work because of electricity problems, and cable theft and faults remain a major issue.”
Temporary solutions by the city would not address the needs of residents and local businesses, he added. “They need to come up with permanent solutions. Faulty cables must be replaced. When there is rain, even the solar backup systems are affected.”
Another resident, Misaveni Ngobeni, said he was also concerned that the restored electricity supply would not last and a new substation would provide a more sustainable solution for the area. “I had to spend a lot of money on takeaways during the festive holidays because I didn’t want to buy food and then throw it away.”
“We are trying again to get our voices heard with residents from Golden Fields. We have drafted a new petition for a permanent electricity solution, which will be submitted to the council.”
— Misaveni Ngobeni, resident
Residents from Golden Fields, Heritage Hill and Candlewoods estates previously submitted petitions to the municipality in 2023 calling for a permanent solution, Ngobeni added
“We are trying again to get our voices heard with residents from Golden Fields. We have drafted a new petition for a permanent electricity solution, which will be submitted to the council.”
Mashigo said the city, in partnership with business stakeholders and the ward councillor, established a community upliftment project through which the substation was upgraded and fitted with enhanced security measures, including CCTV surveillance and an electric fence.
“These interventions were implemented in 2025 and fully funded by business partners,” Mashigo said. “As a result of these upgrades, the substation is currently stable and significantly better protected against vandalism and cable theft.”
However, he said challenges remained on the downstream electricity network, with faults continuing on four feeder cables due to water ingress at several previously repaired sections. “These defects are structural in nature and cannot be sustainably resolved through repeated patch repairs.”
Mashigo said the city had prioritised the full replacement of about 1.3km of each of the four affected feeder cables, with the major infrastructure project planned for early 2026, pending required budget adjustments.
“This will complete the downstream work necessary to secure a reliable electricity supply to the area. The city remains committed to engaging openly with residents and the media.”
TimesLIVE
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