Another pylon has collapsed in Nelson Mandela Bay, causing a widespread outage.
The collapsed pylon is on the 132kV Chelsea-Arlington line.
In February The Herald reported that the pylons were severely corroded and appeared structurally compromised, edging closer to collapse and threatening a major electricity outage across large parts of the city.
Electricity and energy MMC Ziyanda Mnqokoyi said the line is a matter of urgency.
We can’t be reactive any more. An assessment already told us that the collapse of three pylons was imminent
— Ziyanda Mnqokoyi, electricity and energy political head
“We can’t be reactive any more. An assessment already told us that the collapse of three pylons was imminent,” she said.
“On Tuesday we had a meeting with the executive director of electricity and energy, who was trying to find a budget so work could begin.”
Mnqokoyi said it will take 10 days to fix.
On Wednesday contractors were on site but not working.
This is not the first time pylons have collapsed along the line. The collapse of two other major 132kV pylons on the Greenbushes-Bethelsdorp line from Chatty in January left large swathes of the metro without electricity and water for several days.
The municipality said at the time the collapse, which left the city without power for nearly a week, was caused by vandalism and high winds, and not by maintenance failures or corrosion.
The Chelsea-Arlington line is connected to the Greenbushes-Bethelsdorp. The line provides power to Summerstrand, Walmer, Seaview, Sardinia Bay, Lovemore Park, Lovemore Heights and many other areas.
In August 2024 four 132kV high-voltage pylons on the Summerstrand line collapsed due to gale-force winds. The incident was caused by rust and corrosion. Power was restored after more than a week.
Rust and corrosion on a transmission tower were again behind a widespread outage in May 2025.
The Herald
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