05/10/2026
**TSHWANE’S POWER CRISIS: WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE ABSENCE OF LEADERSHIP BY MAYOR NASIPHI MOYA?**
Thousands of Tshwane residents are still without electricity. DA councillors are pressing the City for reliable information, the completion of repairs, and the restoration of power.
**The DA is not in government in Tshwane.** The city is governed by a coalition of the ANC, EFF, ActionSA and Patriotic Alliance. Yet Mayor Nasiphi Moya has been completely absent from the management of this crisis. Our councillors are trying to fill a leadership vacuum while residents bear the consequences.
Here is the latest information available to us:
🔹 **Murrayfield, La Montagne, Silverton and other parts of Ward 41:** About 6,000 residents remain without power. All the cable faults caused by the Njala outage and subsequent switching have been repaired, but a shortage of switching teams and system operators is delaying restoration. Switching must be carefully managed to avoid overloading the supply.
🔹 **East Lynne and Jan Niemandpark:** About 3,000 people remain without power. Teams are repairing a fourth cable fault. Cable theft during the outage has caused further setbacks. Once repairs are completed, the City can proceed with switching power back on.
Residents are understandably angry and desperate. Last night, DA councillor Freddie Pienaar urged protesters to join community patrols to prevent further cable theft. When cables are stolen, residents face an even longer wait for electricity.
🔹 **Other areas:** Many households elsewhere in Tshwane are waiting for smaller outages to receive attention while the City focuses on the larger failures. They also deserve answers and assistance.
**What are we doing?**
• We have asked the City Manager to deploy additional switching teams and system operators to affected areas and use qualified contractors to increase capacity.
• Our councillors continue demanding updates, following up on outstanding repairs, and pressing the City to get teams to affected communities.
• The DA branch in Murrayfield, La Montagne and Silverton has committed R10,000 to help residents with warm meals. Similar initiatives are being organised for East Lynne and Jan Niemandpark.
• After the City allowed all its security contracts to lapse, we approached private businesses and security companies to help protect infrastructure. This cannot fill the entire gap. We still have no clear answer from the City about its plan to protect critical infrastructure against further criminal attacks.
The past week reinforces the basis of the DA’s complaint to NERSA. Under the ANC-led coalition, funding for critical infrastructure upgrades has been cut in favour of water tankers and security companies. Shortages of switching teams and system operators further prolong outages and leave cables vulnerable to theft.
**We will keep helping residents and pressing the City to act. But the responsibility to manage this crisis rests with the government of Tshwane. Mayor Nasiphi Moya must take charge, mobilise resources and account to residents. Her absence is a failure of leadership.**
