Mayor Herman Mashaba has applauded the City’s technicians and engineers for working speedily to restore water and electricity to large parts of Johannesburg.
This follows a devastating fire at Eikenhof substation, on Monday, which interrupted services to a significant part of the City.
The fire, which is suspected to have been an act of sabotage, started outside a transformer at the substation, video evidence has shown.
Video evidence further suggests that the transformer appeared to have been maliciously damaged in order to leak oil onto the fire, with Mashaba noting that this was not consistent with a fire having originated from an electrical fault.
“A video has emerged which proves that the fire had originated outside the transformer at the substation. Further to this, the transformer appeared to have been maliciously damaged so that it would leak oil onto the fire. These facts are simply not consistent with a fire originating from an electrical fault.
“I have requested that City Power immediately refer this matter to the City’s Group Forensics and Investigation Services (GFIS) and the South African Police Services for further investigation,” said Mashaba in a statement.
Despite the damage caused to the substation, Mashaba, who visited the facility on Wednesday, applauded technicians and engineers from City Power and Joburg Water for working tirelessly - up to 30 hours without rest - to restore water and electricity to affected areas.
Pic by @bluehawktactic1
Rand Water infrastructure, powered by the Eikenhof substation, pumps water to approximately 40% of Johannesburg, as well as parts of the West Rand and Rustenburg.
Said Mashaba: “On behalf of the residents of the City of Johannesburg, I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to the dedicated men and women at City Power and Joburg Water, for working around the clock to restore electricity and water following a fire at the Eikenhof substation on Monday.
“Following severe damage to the substation, which caused service interruptions, technicians and engineers from the two entities worked tirelessly and continuously for 30 hours to restore critical services to our residents, completing in that time work that should have taken up to 72 hours to get through.”
The mayor said the City Power and Joburg Water technicians’ dedication was a sign that a culture of “service with pride” was steadily taking root in Johannesburg.
He also thanked MMC for Environment and Infrastructure Services, Cllr Nico de Jager as well as the managing directors of City Power and Joburg Water, Lerato Setshedi and Ntshavheni Mukwevho, respectively, for their political and executive management leadership.
Video: https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/FMfcgxvzKQjJszgVGzNHGbkzmRCrrVSB?projector=1
