On Tuesday, 20 August 2019, the Executive Mayor of the City of Johannesburg, Councillor Herman Mashaba; the MMC for Environment and Infrastructure Services, Cllr Nico de Jager; and the MMC for Social Development, Cllr Nonhlanhla Sifumba; joined City Power CEO Lerato Setshedi for a switch-on ceremony at the Heavenly Valley informal settlement.
This marked the culmination of a three month-long project by City Power, which concluded with the electrification of 64 dwellings in this informal settlement situated near Klipspruit West.
The project, which cost around R8 million, involved extending medium voltage (MV) power supply from the nearest substation through using a hare conductor cable.
A new ring main unit (RMU) switch together with a low voltage (LV) network reticulation have been installed for the community. City Power used aerial bundle conductor (ABC) cable to supply power to the residents. This cable is made of aluminium and has little or no value to cable thieves.
The ABC cable is known for being tough, is not easily cut and it has a steel core. It also does not easily snap when a vehicle collides with a pole it is connected to.
The ABC cable plays a very instrumental role in the reduction of unplanned power outages as it offers no scrap metal value. It is also durable in all types of weather.
Over and above electrifying 64 dwellings the community has seen the installation of 30 public lights which will provide safety, ambience and convenience for the community.
Mayor Mashaba expressed his delight at the completion of the project – and too, the knowledge that residents would no longer have to depend on other sources such as braziers, paraffin stoves, and candles, which were hazardous.
Addressing the community, Mayor Mashaba said: “Please allow me to apologise for over 50 years of living in darkness in the City of Johannesburg. Until now, government had failed you. It is our responsibility as a multiparty government to ensure that you do not ever have to wait this long again for basic services.”
He thanked the City Power CEO, Mr Setshedi and the entity for the timeous delivery of this project.
Turning to the residents of Heavenly Valley, Mayor Mashaba encouraged them to look after the new infrastructure, saying replacing or repairing infrastructure compromised this administration’s efforts to deliver services to other communities across the City of Johannesburg’s seven regions. The city has more than 200 informal settlements.
A budget of approximately R750m has been set aside by the City of Johannesburg to electrify informal settlements around Johannesburg.
MMC De Jager said: “I must especially commend Mr. Setshedi. He has done an incredible job with his [City Power] team. It is because of the savings that he has realised from other projects that we are able to do what we are doing in terms of electrification.”
Because Heavenly Valley residents belong to a low-income community, they qualify for expanded social package (ESP).
After they have been electrified, residents are encouraged to visit their nearest customer care centre to find out how much free electricity they qualify for and what process to follow in order to qualify for free electricity.
Mayor Mashaba expressed his appreciation to the members of the coalition government – the IFP, ACDP, UDM, COPE, and the Freedom Front Plus for their support in bringing Diphetogo to the City of Johannesburg’s residents.
He also extended his thanks to members of the EFF caucus which votes with this administration on an issue-by-issue basis, for its efforts in helping to bring services to City of Johannesburg residents.