EXECUTIVE MAYOR ACTIVATES RAPID RESPONSE PLAN TO ADDRESS FLOOD RELATED POWER OUTAGES
Published: May 27, 2026<< BACK TO NEWS
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Following widespread electricity outages caused by recent heavy rains, flooding and strong winds across Nelson Mandela Bay, Executive Mayor Councillor Babalwa Lobishe on Tuesday, 26 May 2026, convened an urgent intervention meeting with senior leadership from the Electricity and Energy Directorate to activate an intensified recovery and rapid response plan aimed at restoring power to affected communities as quickly and safely as possible.
The emergency intervention follows growing concern over prolonged outages affecting several communities, including New Brighton, KwaZakhele, Veeplaas, Soweto on Sea, parts of Bethelsdorp and Motherwell. The meeting was also attended by Ward Councillors from the affected areas to ensure direct coordination between communities and municipal response teams.
The Municipality acknowledges the frustration, inconvenience and hardship experienced by residents, businesses, schools, healthcare facilities and vulnerable groups affected by the outages and related water supply interruptions.
The recent severe weather caused extensive damage to critical electricity infrastructure across the Metro, including damaged substations, broken electricity and streetlighting poles, flooded underground cable networks, and widespread electrical faults. The adverse weather conditions also created increased opportunities for cable theft and vandalism in certain areas, further compounding restoration efforts.
Communities are currently experiencing:
• Prolonged electricity outages due to extensive infrastructure damage.
• Non-functioning streetlights in several affected areas.
• Water supply interruptions linked to electricity disruptions at reservoirs and pump stations.
• Delays in fault detection caused by flooded underground cable systems.
• Pressure on existing technical teams due to the scale of the disaster response effort.
Executive Mayor Lobishe said the Municipality could not accept a situation where residents remain without electricity for extended periods without visible intervention and accountability.
"The severity of this disaster requires a different operational approach and a heightened level of urgency. Residents have every right to expect visible action, coordination and accountability from their Municipality. We have therefore directed the immediate establishment of a war room and rapid response intervention model to accelerate restoration efforts across all affected communities.
While some of the damage is complex and highly technical in nature, prolonged outages cannot become normalised. Every available municipal resource must now be mobilised to improve response times, strengthen coordination and restore services with urgency,” said Executive Mayor Lobishe.
As part of the intervention, the Executive Mayor directed the Electricity and Energy Directorate to implement the following immediate measures:
• Deployment of additional contractors to supplement municipal technical teams in affected wards
• Daily operational monitoring and performance oversight through the Office of the City Manager
• Prioritisation of critical procurement processes for damaged infrastructure materials and components
• Strengthened coordination between Electricity and Energy, Water and Sanitation, Supply Chain Management, and Safety and Security Directorates
• Increased protection and monitoring of electricity infrastructure to combat cable theft and vandalism
• Accelerated deployment planning for specialised vehicles and cable fault detection equipment
• Daily progress updates to affected communities through Ward Councillors and official municipal communication platforms
The Executive Mayor further instructed that ward-based recovery plans and progress reports be submitted regularly to her office to ensure improved accountability, turnaround monitoring and community visibility.
In addition to the institutional response, Executive Mayor Lobishe will conduct oversight visits to affected communities to assess restoration progress on the ground and engage directly with residents impacted by the outages.
The Municipality remains committed to restoring electricity supply safely, stabilising critical infrastructure and ensuring that all affected communities receive regular updates as recovery operations continue.
While the extent of the flood related damage remains significant, all available resources are being mobilised to improve restoration times and strengthen service delivery response mechanisms across Nelson Mandela Bay.
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