City faces significant challenges

IT HAS been three years since the floods that were the result of torrential rain that battered KwaZulu-Natal, which caused the deaths of more than 400 people, damaged infrastructure and property, disrupted businesses, and dislocated families in April 2022.

- GCWALISILE KHANYILE

The province remains on the road to recovery.

The floods exposed infrastructure fragility and the consequences of inadequate planning and maintenance, as roads buckled, bridges collapsed, and essential services like water and electricity were severely disrupted.

The eThekwini Metro and the South Coast were among the hardest hit areas.

The disaster highlighted deep-seated social and economic vulnerabilities, with informal settlements, often located in high-risk areas, bearing the brunt of the devastation.

The eThekwini Municipality’s spokesperson, Mandla Nsele, said following the devastating floods of April 2022, the city has significantly progressed in restoring and upgrading its electricity infrastructure.

“The current replacement cost of the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality’s infrastructure is estimated at R461 billion, he said.

“Five distribution substations were condemned and are slated for replacement. Major substations have been replaced, cleaned up, and energised after passing pressure tests.

At the Mariannridge High Voltage Substation, equipment installation has been completed, and commissioning was underway, and expected to be completed by the end of July 2025.

“At the Toyota substation, a temporary mobile switchgear has been installed, permanent 11kV switchgear procurement is in the final stages, expected delivery early next year, and civil structure repairs at affected other substations have been completed,” Nsele said.