A controlled two-hour power rotation will be introduced in parts of Nelson Mandela Bay without electricity after vandalism and strong winds led to the collapse of two 132kV overhead power-line towers along the Bethelsdorp–Greenbushes corridor.
The vandalism and strong winds plunged several parts of the city into darkness on Thursday afternoon.
The municipality has set a 14-day timeline for full restoration of the line and has activated a joint operations centre (JOC) as efforts continue to stabilise the grid.
As a secondary consequence of the disruption, several water pump stations and reservoirs have been affected, resulting in water supply interruptions in some areas.
Mayor Babalwa Lobishe and acting city manager Lonwabo Ngoqo conducted an oversight visit to the site on Friday morning, where contractors had begun excavations to install seven steel monopoles to support the high-voltage lines.
These structures are designed to be resistant to vandalism and theft.
Lobishe said additional options were being explored to shorten the restoration timeline.
“We are committed to remaining on site until we find solutions to reduce the expected technical operation time. We aim to bring the restoration date forward and restore electricity sooner,” she said.
Updates will be provided through the JOC, which will be operating around the clock to co-ordinate the response.
“I acknowledge the serious disruption this outage has caused to residents and businesses across Nelson Mandela Bay.
“This is the result of deliberate vandalism, compounded by adverse weather, which led to the collapse of critical high-voltage infrastructure,” she said.
According to the acting director of electricity, Bernhardt Lamour, two double-circuit lattice towers were compromised after vandals removed bolts and steel components from the structures.
He said strong winds later caused the weakened towers to collapse between 3pm and 4pm on Thursday.
“The transmission lines form part of a key link supplying the Chatty, Bloemendal and Rowallan Park substations.
“To ensure that there is a supply in the affected areas, we will connect them to other feeders drawing power from other substations.
“But to avoid grid collapse, a controlled two-hour load (rotation) will be implemented on a rotational basis,” he said.
The contractor has been on site since 5pm on Thursday, conducting detailed damage assessments and securing the area.
Municipal spokesperson Sithembiso Soyaya said power rotation can be expected to start in Summerstrand, Humewood, South End, and parts of Greenbushes on Friday.
“Residents in these areas are advised that, to safely manage demand and protect the network during this interim arrangement, a controlled two-hour load reduction will be implemented on a rotational basis.
“A detailed load reduction schedule will be shared as soon as possible through the municipality’s official communication platforms,” he said.
Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber CEO Denise van Huyssteen urged the municipality to ensure more security for the corridor.
“The chamber has repeatedly, for many years, flagged its concerns regarding the vulnerability of Chatty, the metro’s key feeder substation and its main lines, as well as the general lack of adequate security and CCTV surveillance/monitoring being in place to protect the metro’s electricity infrastructure from vandalism,” she said.
“Additionally, we have made repeated requests to the municipality to collaborate with Eskom through the active partnering initiative to address the various electricity infrastructure issues, which have resulted in a high number of unplanned power outages and power dips impacting the metro over several years.
“We strongly urge the municipality to move with absolute urgency to resolve the power outage.
“Alongside this, it is vital that the municipality take action to ensure that robust security and surveillance or monitoring solutions are implemented to protect substations and other vital infrastructure from vandalism,” she said.
In August 2024, four 132kV high-voltage transmission towers on the western side of Gqeberha collapsed due to gale-force winds.
This was also 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 power outage in May 2025.
The Herald
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