The Electricity Department handles everything related to the supply, management, and maintenance of electrical power within Makhanda Municipality.

Main Functions of the Municipal Electricity Department

  1. Electricity Supply and Distribution
  • Purchase bulk electricity (often from Eskom)
  • Distribute electricity to homes, businesses, and municipal facilities
  • Manage the local electrical grid infrastructure (poles, wires, transformers)
  1. Metering and Billing
  • Install and maintain electricity meters for customers
  • Calculate consumption and issue bills for electricity usage
  • Handle payment collections and customer account management
  1. Maintenance and Repairs
  • Respond to power outages, faults, and emergencies
  • Conduct routine inspections and maintenance of electrical infrastructure
  • Replace or upgrade equipment as needed to ensure safety and reliability
  1. Customer Service
  • Manage customer inquiries, complaints, and service requests
  • Provide information on electricity tariffs, usage, and safety
  1. Compliance and Regulation
  • Ensure operations comply with national electricity regulations and standards
  • Liaise with regulatory bodies like NERSA (National Energy Regulator of South Africa)
  • Submit tariff applications and reports as required
  1. Planning and Development
  • Plan for future electricity demand and infrastructure expansion
  • Coordinate with urban planning and development departments
  • Support integration of renewable energy sources where applicable

DISTRIBUTION DIVISION

  • Responsible for maintaining and expanding the distribution network, including overhead lines, substations, underground cables, streetlights, high-mast lighting, wind turbines, and the Electricity and Energy Directorate’s vehicle fleet.

PLANNING DIVISION

  • The division’s objective is to ensure a reliable and acceptable standard of electricity supply to all customers within the municipality’s licensed area—at the right time and at an affordable cost. This includes future planning by forecasting medium- and long-term electricity demand, modelling the network to assess its capacity, and, where needed, designing, costing, and budgeting for network upgrades.

ELECTRIFICATION AND PLANT DIVISION

  • The division’s objective is to plan and provide electricity to all residents in informal settlements and low-cost housing within the municipal area, in line with engineering standards, political directives, and budget constraints aligned with strategic objectives. It also oversees the functions of the Electrification Division, ensuring that these areas are electrified and that all legally eligible residents in municipal housing have access to basic electricity services and are connected to the electrical network.

INTERGRATED ENERGY MANAGEMENT DIVISION

Revenue Protection Section
  • Technical and non-technical losses,
  • Load management ,NMD,KVA ,Geyser ripple system,
  • Theft of Electricity and Non-Ferrous Metal Theft,
  • Metering of all customers,
  • Applicable By-law enforcement,
  • Electricity tariff management,