Nelson Mandela Bay's Substations at Risk of Vandalism and Power Outages

Strategic Insights -

Nelson Mandela Bay's critical substations are facing a security crisis, with the acting city manager, Ted Pillay, requesting an urgent council decision to allocate R20-million to pay the security firm guarding major substations. The municipality currently owes its security service provider R21-million, and a payment of R7-million was made last week to prevent the substations from being abandoned. The crisis has significant implications for the city's residents, who could face power outages if the substations are not protected.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Nelson Mandela Bay municipality owes its security service provider R21-million, with a payment of R7-million made last week to prevent the substations from being abandoned.
  • Without an urgent payment, the substations are at risk of being left unguarded and vulnerable to vandalism, which could cause costly power outages.
  • The municipality is considering reallocating R20-million from its current year's budget to pay the security firm and prevent the substations from being left unguarded.
  • The Business Chamber's Adopt-a-Substation programme has been successful in protecting several substations in the city, with Atlas Security protecting the large substation at Struandale through a combination of guards and security vehicles.
  • The Adopt-a-Substation initiative has not had any incidents in the two years since its launch and has prevented the substation from being a target.
  • In its 2025 integrated development report, vandalism is highlighted as one of the major risks facing the city, and the metro's electricity department will need to be subsidised by municipal rates to remain viable.
  • Opposition parties have argued in council that the electricity department would bankrupt the city if a successful turnaround plan was not implemented.

Statistics:

  • R21-million: The amount owed by the municipality to its security service provider.
  • R7-million: The payment made last week to prevent the substations from being abandoned.
  • R20-million: The amount requested to be reallocated from the municipality's current year's budget to pay the security firm.
  • 12 months: The time period during which there have been several reported instances of vandalism at substations in the metro.

Sources:

  • "NMB owes security service provider R21-million" by Mario Visser, published in Daily Maverick on June 14, 2025.
  • "Nelson Mandela Bay's substations at risk due to security firm's withdrawal" by The Mercury, published on June 18, 2025.
  • "Adopt-a-Substation programme hailed as a success" by Die Burger, published on June 15, 2025.
  • Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber's letter to the Presidency, dated December 2024.
  • Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality's 2025 integrated development report.