Residents across Lenasia South, Ennerdale and surrounding communities could benefit from planned electricity infrastructure upgrades aimed at addressing recurring outages, ageing equipment and damaged infrastructure.
City of Johannesburg Executive Mayor Dada Morero outlined the planned projects during the eighth Electricity Imbizo on Wednesday, 21 October, where residents from different wards were given an opportunity to raise concerns and highlight the electricity challenges affecting their communities. Among the concerns raised was that of a woman from a nearby ward whose household had been without electricity for days, leaving her worried about her husband, who relies on oxygen.
The situation highlighted the serious consequences prolonged outages can have on vulnerable residents and their families. “We understand the frustration that comes with being without electricity, particularly when the same problems continue to affect communities,” Morero said.
The Mayor acknowledged that residents in Lenasia South, Ennerdale, Lawley, Vlakfontein, Finetown, Freedom Park and Zakariyya Park continue to experience electricity interruptions linked to ageing infrastructure, illegal connections and vandalism.The planned projects include R45 million for the renewal of Hopefield Substation, with completion expected in December 2029, and R4.5 million for upgrades at Lenasia South Substation, expected to be completed by June 2029.
A further R4 million has been allocated to replace ageing high-voltage circuit breakers at Ennerdale Substation, with completion expected in June 2027. Lehae Substation will also receive R700,000 for the replacement of damaged protection equipment. Additionally, R35 million has been allocated towards restoring electrical infrastructure currently out of service, while R15 million will go towards the Trade Route Substation project to strengthen electricity supply arrangements.
The City has also allocated R2.85 million to replace 300 streetlight fittings in Region G and R8.125 million to install 25 solar-powered high-mast lights. Morero said the City needed to address the underlying causes of repeated outages rather than rely on temporary repairs. “We cannot continue addressing these challenges through repeated repairs alone. We must invest in renewing ageing infrastructure, restoring equipment that is out of service and strengthening the network,” he said.
The Mayor also raised concerns about illegal electricity connections, meter bypassing, cable theft and vandalism, warning that these activities place additional pressure on the network and can leave entire communities without power. He urged residents to cooperate with City Power’s normalisation efforts, purchase electricity through approved channels and report damage or theft of electricity infrastructure.
“It is unfair for paying customers to carry the burden of illegal electricity connections and the damage they cause to infrastructure,” Morero said. Although the projects have different completion dates, Morero emphasised that maintenance and operational interventions must continue while longer-term upgrades are underway. “The people of Johannesburg deserve electricity services they can depend on,” he said.
The Imbizo provided residents with an opportunity to raise their concerns directly with City leadership and electricity officials, while highlighting the need for improved communication, accountability and reliable electricity services across the affected communities.
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