Transmission pylons in Nelson Mandela Bay have collapsed again, leaving parts of the metro without power for up to three weeks. The city budgeted R11.9-million for repairs this financial year, short of the R35-million needed. Businesses report significant losses from the outages.
A pylon on the Summerstrand/Arlington-Walmer 132kV line collapsed on Thursday, affecting areas including tourist attractions, businesses and residential zones in Nelson Mandela Bay. This follows a similar incident last week in the Arlington/Summerstrand area that caused five days of outages. Municipal spokesperson Sithembiso Soyaya stated that since 2024, the municipality spent R17.3-million on repairs, reprioritised from other projects, including R4.1-million for the Chelsea-Arlington-Walmer-Summerstrand line and R8-million for the Chatty-Bloemendal-Rowallan Park line. Infrastructure upgrades are planned but depend on contracts. The city allocated R11.9-million for pylon repairs this year: R1-million for the affected Summerstrand-Arlington-Walmer line, R8-million for unspecified 66kV and 132kV lines, and R3-million for Chatty to Bloemendal and Rowallan Park lines. A report indicates R35-million is required, creating a R24-million shortfall. EFF councillor and MMC for Electricity Ziyanda Mnqokoyi said repairs began Thursday afternoon and are expected to take 21 days, with efforts to accelerate. Businesses are impacted severely. Volkswagen Group Africa CEO Martina Biene noted unplanned outages halt 587 robots, costing up to 220 cars per incident and requiring UPS systems. Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber CEO Denise van Huyssteen highlighted years of neglected maintenance affecting jobs amid 27.1% unemployment. Hospitality operators like Boardwalk Hotel GM Sisulu Madondo and Fedhasa rep Glenn Pappin report daily diesel costs up to R15,000 and reputational damage. ACDP councillor Lance Grootboom criticised insufficient funding allocation.