The eThekwini electricity department has 1,284 vacancies, which has become a concern for eThekwini Ward 49 Councillor Danovan Pillay on Thursday.

Pillay said that prolonged power outages and cable-fault repair turnaround times were a concern for residents throughout the municipality, with councillors bearing the brunt of complaints from irate residents.

In an eThekwini council meeting on Thursday, the electricity management provided feedback to Pillay’s concerns. There are 1,284 vacancies, of which 489 are funded and 795 are unfunded.

Pillay said the vacancies include 280 critical and skilled labour, of which 183 are funded and 97 are unfunded. 

The electricity department also stated that they have 28 switching on officers, 38 faultsmen, and 35 external contractors, adding that it is not phasing out contractors at this stage.

Pillay was also concerned that the municipality only had seven test officers, with four new posts created and will be advertised for filling soon. Of the seven test officers, five are operational with thumpers-scopes and two only have thumpers with no scope. 

To mitigate the excessive downtime, the eThekwini energy management unit stated that it intends to buy more equipment. 

“The current contract for test equipment requires a major change to the contract value. The report to the trading services committee has been compiled and will be submitted to purchase more test equipment,” the unit stated in response to Pillay. 

Pillay said infrastructure upgrades were under way in Phoenix Ward 49, with new electrical cables being installed along Phoenix Highway, leading to the Eastbury Major substation.

“This will improve the electricity network, which has suffered from ageing infrastructure. The new cables will bolster the reliability and efficiency of the power supply in the region, reducing the frequency and severity of outages,” Pillay said.  

Regarding the installation of prepaid electricity meters and questions by Rajan Maharaj, Ward 13 councillor, the eThekwini Municipality Trading Services Committee chairperson, Mdu Nkosi, said approximately 5,414 prepaid meters were paid for but not installed yet.  

Nkosi said the reconciliation for funds collected for the prepaid meters amounted to R23 million. He said the meter procurement process is under way through a contractual process, adding that the first batch of electricity meters is expected to be delivered in August 2025. 

“Once the meters are available, the installation teams will commence with the changeovers, and it is anticipated the backlog will be attended to within six months or even concluded sooner,” Nkosi said. 

zainul.dawood@inl.co.za 

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