ETHEKWINI NEWSFLASH
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TRADING SERVICES COMMITTEE MOVES TO BOOST POWER RELIABILITY AND SUPPORT DEVELOPMENT
The Trading Services Committee convened its first meeting of the year yesterday, 18 February, where it considered and recommended several reports aimed at accelerating service delivery.
All reports will proceed to the City’s Executive Committee for further processing.
R3.4 MILLION RECOMMENDED FOR NEW ELECTRICITY TEST EQUIPMENT
The Committee recommended the procurement, supply, delivery, and offloading of specialised electricity test equipment for a 36month period.
The Energy Management Directorate reported an urgent need to replace several failing units currently used to diagnose faults within the electricity network.
The new equipment will support critical functions such as:
• Identifying cable faults
• Conducting overvoltage pressure tests
• Testing current transformer relay systems.
A R3.4 million budget allocation has been recommended to enable faster fault detection and repairs, resulting in quicker restoration of power and improved reliability for industries, businesses, and households.
This investment will significantly enhance the City’s diagnostic capacity across key electrical distribution assets.
MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING ADVANCES ELDORADO DEVELOPMENT
The Committee also authorised the City Manager, Musa Mbhele, to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Rowles Group to advance highvoltage infrastructure upgrades required for the Eldorado Development.
A major component of the project is the upgrade of the Waterfall Substation, whose design was completed in 2021 to expand capacity from two 30 MVA transformers to a fourtransformer (60 MVA firm) configuration.
This upgrade will provide additional capacity and operational flexibility within the network.
Civil works on the upgrade project are progressing well, with completion of the civil works package targeted for June 2026.
ENDS
Issued by eThekwini Municipality’s Marketing and Communications Directorate
