Residents urged to trim trees ahead of winter storms

14 April 2021

The City of Cape Town’s Electricity Generation and Distribution Department encourages residents to maintain their trees and vegetation growing near or alongside power lines ahead of the upcoming winter stormy season. Tree branches, which encroach on overhead power lines, often lead to power outages if electricity infrastructure is damaged. This is often also the reason for prolonged area outages, which can be prevented.

• A clearance of at least 3,8 metres is required between vegetation and power lines.
• Contact the City for advice on how to safely remove tree branches on private property that pose a risk to City power supply.

Stormy weather can sometimes contribute to an increase in prolonged power outages, especially where tree branches grow over and into overhead power lines or where fragile trees fall over and damage infrastructure.

The City’s electricity teams are making every effort to minimise electricity outages caused by trees growing alongside overhead power lines by carrying out various tree clearing efforts on City property across the metro in preparation for winter storms.

Vegetation growing too close to overhead power lines is especially dangerous.

‘Property owners or those renting a property are urged to do this maintenance work while taking safety precautions and to ensure that there is a required clearance of at least 3,8 metres between vegetation and power lines.

‘Residents are also reminded that branches, which encroach on streetlights, diminish their efficacy. Clearing vegetation that is already encroaching on overhead lines can be dangerous and property owners are requested to contact the City for advice and to arrange an electricity shutdown to remove branches safely. Working together, we can mitigate the risks and avoid the inconvenience caused to our residents when power lines are struck by trees during a storm,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Energy and Climate Change, Councillor Phindile Maxiti.

Contact the City:

• Should residents be concerned that there is a risk of trees on City property encroaching on City overhead power lines, they are encouraged to report these cases to the City’s Fault Reporting Centre on 0860 103 089 or FaultReporting.Centre@capetown.gov.za.
• Please note, during inclement weather, service requests increase and this can impact on the time required to fix an outage. The City thanks all residents for their understanding.

End

Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office