Another pylon in Nelson Mandela Bay is severely corroded and appears to be structurally compromised, edging closer to collapse and threatening a major electricity outage across large parts of the city, including areas that were hit just two weeks ago.
Multiple cross beams on the 132kV Chelsea-Arlington pylon in the Deer Park area have rusted away, leaving jagged holes.
The corrosion is severe and not recent, raising serious concerns about whether the pylon can hold its weight.
Several support arms and side poles that should hold and stabilise the power lines have also rusted and fallen apart.
The cables remain under tension, hanging from fittings that appear worn and weakened, while parts of the steel lattice appear bent and incomplete, pointing to further structural damage.
Other pylons along the Chelsea-Arlington line in the Deer Park area are also reportedly in the same condition.
The DA conducted an oversight visit to the pylon on a farm in Deer Park on Thursday.
The latest threat comes after the collapse of two major 132kV pylons on the Greenbushes-Bethelsdorp line from Chatty in January, leaving large swathes of the metro without electricity and water for several days.
In January, the municipality said the collapse that 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.
The Chelsea-Arlington line’s proximity to the ocean leaves it highly vulnerable to corrosion.
Municipal spokesperson Sithembiso Soyaya acknowledged concerns about ageing electricity infrastructure.
He welcomed the oversight visits.
“At the same time, infrastructure planning must ultimately be guided by verified engineering evidence.
“The municipality will rely on qualified technical expertise to determine the true condition of assets and will report on the state of infrastructure once formal assessments are completed.
“This ensures that decisions are grounded in facts and professional standards, rather than speculation.”
He said the metro was busy with structured, metro-wide technical assessments of its electricity network.
“These inspections are designed to identify risk levels, prioritise interventions, and build a clear picture of infrastructure condition across the system.
“This is a deliberate process aimed at moving from reactive repairs toward planned renewal.”
He said once assessments were done, the municipality would implement a programme.
This included a phased refurbishment plan with risk-based project sequencing and aligned budgeting to support upgrades.
“Public safety remains the primary priority.
“Any elevated risk identified during inspections triggers immediate intervention while longer-term planning continues.”
He said infrastructure renewal was a complex, long-term problem.
“The municipality will communicate confirmed findings and the planned refurbishment roadmap once the engineering work is finalised.”
Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber chief executive Denise van Huyssteen said that since January 2023, the city had experienced 185 unplanned power outages and power dips, which had significantly affected businesses.
“There is a huge cost implication, and it also affects the manufacturing process [in factories].
“This is all due to the electricity infrastructure not being maintained.
“It’s an issue that we have been raising for many years.
“The electricity losses in the municipal budget are tracking high.
“They have been losing more and more money every year, and they haven’t reined in those losses.
“So it’s a sustainability issue.
“We can’t have a reactive approach to maintenance where you only do something when the power goes out.
“It needs to be a routine part of how the municipality operates.”
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.
Ward 1 councillor Dries van der Westhuyzen said the first three pylons collapsed in his ward.
“Whenever I get an opportunity, I drive along the line from Sardinia Bay to see if there are any signs of vandalism or theft.
“But then we get to a mast like this where there is only rust.
“You can see at the top on the side-arms that there is a lot of rust on the supporting beams up there, and that is the reason for our concern.”
DA MP and Bay mayoral candidate Retief Odendaal said the pylon could collapse in the near future.
“A lot of people suffered a lot of damage, many people that couldn’t afford to suffer those damages, and that is a stark reality of what poor governance does.
“What happens here is the result of instability in the council.
“We are now losing R1.5bn a year in [electricity sales].
“We are paying Eskom more for bulk electricity than what we bring in from the sale of electricity to our consumers.
“It is bleeding money.
“It’s not sustainable, and it needs to be dealt with.
“We need to do immediate budget amendments.
“We need an executive director for electricity and energy after the previous one resigned.
“There has to be a turnaround plan for the department to deal with the financial issues.”
He said an electricity services master plan was needed.
“You cannot continue on a basis where there is no plan.
“There has to be a plan that dictates over the next 10 years where you need to invest, what needs to be repaired and what needs to be replaced.”
The Herald
