Businesses and residents in Reservoir Hills are grappling with the aftermath of a four-day power outage triggered by an explosion at a local substation last Friday. The outage left large parts of the community without electricity, with many still in the dark as of Tuesday evening.
Ward 23 Councillor Alicia Kissoon said the outage has had a devastating impact, particularly on vulnerable residents relying on social grants and pensions.
“It’s the time of the month when our pensioners and grant recipients have just stocked their freezers,” Kissoon said. “Many have been forced to throw out food they can’t afford to replace.”
The outage has also strained local businesses, which have had to rely on costly generators to continue operating. “Our businesses serve the very community that’s been affected, and running on generators only adds to their financial burden,” Kissoon added.
Following several reported cable faults, eThekwini Municipality technicians began restoring electricity to some areas on Tuesday afternoon. However, Kissoon confirmed that a number of streets remain without power.
She attributed the ongoing issues to deeper infrastructure problems, urging the municipality to prioritise long-term maintenance.
“There have been over a dozen cable faults in just a few days — in one community,” she said. “That’s a serious red flag. We need to reassess how we’re maintaining our infrastructure to prevent these recurring failures.”
Municipal officials have yet to provide a detailed timeline for full restoration, but technicians are continuing repair efforts.