A large section of the East Lynne community in Pretoria remains without power for a 14th consecutive day following a devastating fire at the Koedoespoort substation on December 26th, leading to growing public unrest and significant economic losses.
Despite repair efforts by the City of Tshwane, approximately 30 percent of affected consumers are still in the dark. The prolonged outage has forced businesses to close, left residents unable to pay rent, and sparked daily protests. Frustration is boiling over due to what locals describe as a lack of communication and recurring infrastructure problems.
Early this morning, residents once again took to the streets, leading to a police presence that dispersed the crowd. A group of community representatives was escorted by Metro Police to Tshwane House for a promised meeting with the mayor, but they reported being left waiting without any feedback.
A community leader, who spoke on the ground, voiced the collective desperation. “It happens frequently and we don’t receive feedback,” he said. “Today strikes 14 days. The community doesn’t have food. The shops are closing because they cannot afford to open.”
He warned of escalating action if their demands are not met. “We will be closing roads as we go on. The longer we wait, the more roads will be closed and they will stay closed until we get feedback.”
The financial toll is severe. A nearby spa manager reported losses exceeding R90,000 in a single day just for diesel to run generators. Multiple businesses have shut down entirely, and residents report being locked out of their homes due to an inability to pay rent after losing income since the holiday period.
While repair crews have been on-site and have restored power to about 70 percent of the affected area, ongoing cable faults and alleged theft of repaired cables have hampered progress. The City has not provided a clear timeline for when full service will be restored to all of East Lynne.
As of this reporting, the Mayor’s office has not issued a public statement or met with the waiting community delegation. The situation remains tense, with residents vowing to intensify their demonstrations until concrete answers and restoration are delivered.
