Tshwane Mayor condemns hostage situation amid power outage crisis in Soshanguve

Tshwane Mayor Nasiphi Moya has expressed concern that residents of Soshanguve Block BB, frustrated by an extended power outage, allegedly held municipal electricity workers hostage on Saturday.

The incident occurred amidst suspicions that some workers might be intentionally damaging cables to generate overtime work, which results in higher pay.

Moya took to social media platform X to share her concern, saying municipal officials narrowly escaped a confrontation with frustrated residents in Soshanguve, who were fed up with the ongoing power outage.

She said: “These city officials are doing the most. This team has just escaped an angry group of residents frustrated by a power outage in Soshanguve. When I spoke to them, they were on duty. We organise security so they can restore power. Soon, we will complete the upgrades at the IA substation, which has been neglected for years, so the people of Soshanguve can have reliable electricity.”

Ward 94 Councillor Elisha Mlotshwa said the alleged incident occurred amidst long-standing suspicions by residents that municipal electricians intentionally damage cables to generate overtime work, resulting in higher pay.

“People who are working overtime are known to be paid more than those working during the day,” she said.

She said on Wednesday angry residents blocked the roads with burning tyres because they have been without electricity for days.

“The situation on the ground is not normal. People are angry,” she said.

She explained that she was not present at the scene of the alleged hostage incident, but was told by municipal officials that technicians were obstructed by residents.

Mlotshwa said the main source of power outages in the area was faulty mini-substations, which frequently malfunction.

Municipal spokesperson Lindela Mashigo, said: “The city pleads with the councillor to relay a formal complaint which is backed by tangible evidence of the allegation. This will really assist the city to take strong action against those workers. In addition, the deliberate destruction of infrastructure is unlawful therefore legal proceedings will have to be initiated."

He said the electricians were held hostage at the site from 2pm until they were rescued at 3pm on Saturday, suffering psychological trauma but they escaped unharmed.

He conceded that Soshanguve has been experiencing a power crisis characterised by frequent outages.

“In early March 2025, multiple cable faults at the Soshanguve IA, X and W substation led to prolonged power disruptions across various parts of the area. Technicians have been working diligently to repair these cable faults and water ingress, however the situation remains complex due to load shedding and equipment that trip the entire substation and affect different feeder cables,” he said.

As of March 1, 2025, significant progress has been made in restoring power to Block BB, with most areas now re-energised, according to Mashigo.

“However, subsequent network trips and load shedding caused additional faults, leading to further disruptions in areas where electricity had been restored. This indicates that while significant efforts have been made, the power outage issue in Block BB has been resolved and remains unstable, as we continue to experience cable faults that trip the transformers at IA substation. The IA substation breakers are old and the trip mechanism does not function in case of a fault,” he said.

On Sunday, the township experienced extensive power outages that were not part of the scheduled load shedding, leaving residents without electricity.

Mashigo said the cause of outages was due to Line 1 and 2 from Kwagga Eskom infeed substation which tripped, affecting a large part of the municipality.

“The team has switched back the other affected parts and investigations are ongoing to restore the outstanding areas,” he said.

rapula.moatshe@inl.co.za