News Article

FINAL STAGE REACHED IN CHELSEA–ARLINGTON POWER LINE RESTORATION

Published: April 01, 2026
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The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality extends a sincere apology to all affected residents and businesses for the prolonged power outage experienced in the Walmer and Summerstrand areas. The Municipality acknowledges the inconvenience and frustration caused and assures the public that teams have been working tirelessly, around the clock, to restore electricity as swiftly and safely as possible.

The Municipality is pleased to report that the work to replace the collapsed electricity pylons on the Chelsea–Arlington power line is now at the final stage, with electricity restoration expected just before the Easter weekend.

Over the past 13 days, dedicated teams have undertaken an intensive operation to replace eight pylons with 21 monopoles, work that would ordinarily take over 100 days but was accelerated through the mobilisation of additional resources and expertise, bringing the timeline down to 21 days.

Despite challenges posed by sandy terrain and environmentally protected vegetation, strict safety protocols were upheld throughout the process. Key milestones, including planting, foundation work, stringing, and regulating, have been successfully completed, with teams now focused on transferring and switching the line back on.

Speaking during an oversight visit to the site on Wednesday, Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality Executive Mayor, Cllr Babalwa Lobishe, said: "The progress that has been made is impressive. According to the brief from the contractor, we are expecting to restore power by the end of Thursday, 2 April 2026.

If all goes well and weather permitting, our affected residents will spend the Easter weekend with electricity."

The Member of the Mayoral Committee for Electricity and Energy, Cllr Ziyanda Mnqokoyi, said, "We have replaced the pylons in this part of the line; however, we are mobilising funds to also replace infrastructure in other areas where vulnerability has been identified. We appreciate the hard work that has been done by our teams and the contractor on the ground, and we apologise for the inconvenience caused."

The Municipality would like to reassure residents that every effort is being made to ensure a safe, stable, and sustainable restoration of electricity supply. The city remains committed to strengthening infrastructure resilience and improving response times to emergencies of this nature.


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