The City of Cape Town has announced that there will be a temporary suspension of online services due to scheduled power outages at the data centers. This has left the citizens of Cape Town with the need to adapt to the situation during the upcoming weekend.
Scheduled Power Outage at the Transport Management Centre
The Transport Management Centre (TMC) is planning a full power outage to install the necessary electrical connection for the completion of the Photo Voltaic (Solar Panel) installation. The power outage has been scheduled from 07:00 until 18:00 on Sunday, 4 June 2023. During this period, all IT and communication systems in the relevant data centers, as well as the Network Centre, will be unavailable.
Unavailable Online Services
Starting from 17:00 on Friday, 2 June until 07:00 on Monday, 5 June 2023, several online services will be unavailable due to the required maintenance at the TMC, including:
- Careers
- Debt Management Collections
- Development Management
- E-billing
- E-procurement
- Events Permitting
- Facilities Booking
- Informal Trading Bays and Permit Solutions
- Municipal Accounts
- Online Rebates
- Rates Clearance
- Vehicle Licensing
- Work Order Management
- Online Service Requests/Fault Reporting
Impact on MyCiTi Commuters
Although the temporary suspension of online services will affect various sectors, MyCiTi commuters will still have access to bus schedules on the MyCiTi website and app. However, real-time information on bus locations will not be available during the outage.
Apologies and Future Plans
Alderman Theresa Uys, the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Corporate Services, expresses apologies for the inconvenience caused by the temporary suspension of online services. She emphasizes the importance of the electrical connection for the Photo Voltaic Solar Panel installation, and the City has already started its installation program earlier this month.
Alternative Contact Channels
While the online services are unavailable, the City of Cape Town has provided alternative contact channels to cater to the needs of its residents. These channels include:
- Emergency contact numbers
- Service requests and general inquiries via email or phone
- Reporting of electricity service faults through email, SMS, or phone
- Reporting of water and sanitation or sewer faults through email, SMS, or phone
- Other contact avenues such as motor vehicle registration, driver’s license inquiries, housing database, alcohol and drug 24/7 helpline, public transport, MyCiTi, Dial-a-ride, and the fraud hotline.
The upcoming weekend’s temporary suspension of online services may cause inconvenience to the citizens of Cape Town, but they are encouraged to utilize the alternative contact channels provided by the City to ensure that their needs are met promptly.