Power outages across Pretoria began on the 10th of April as six vandalised power line pylons collapsed. Among the affected was the Ford Silverton production plant.
With power restored, Ford Motor Company Africa hopes to resume production at the Silverton Plant. Power outages resulted in the closure of the Ford Silverton plant for two days, with the plant 4 500 person workforce staying at home for the duration of the plant’s closure. Thankfully, power has been restored, with the plant operations to resume from the 13th of April. Although power has been restored, Ford Motor Company Africa president, Neal Hill, warns that some high-voltage systems may cause the grid to trip due to the large energy demand and usage.
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”Every day that we lose in production it means that it is 720 vehicles that we don’t produce, in the last two days is just shy of 1 500 vehicles and probably an average value of R500 000 a vehicle, you can see the magnitude of the financial impact of the company.” — Neale Hill
The Ford Silverton Plant is responsible for producing Ford Ranger and VW Amarok models for local distribution, as well as for markets such as Europe, Korea, and the Middle East and as such consistent function is crucial for South Africa to remain a viable option for vehicle production.
While the electricity pylons that have been damaged will be repaired and resume function, theft and vandalism is an additional burden for manufacturers not only in Tshwane but South Africa as a whole. Ford’s Silverton facility, which has received a massive injection of capital in the past few years is one of many facilities that fall within the Tshwane Economic Zone that faces a turbulent future if the vital supply of electricity is not ensured.
