“I obtained my qualification in 2017 and joined City Power in 2021. I haven’t been happier in any other job. I hope I can continue doing a good job and fulfilling my passion of making a difference in people’s lives.” That’s how Thuso Mudau, a City Power Electrician, kicks off her chat. She says it’s all about keeping the lights on for residents and making sure to keep them smiling. “Being an electrician makes me feel like a hero. Having no electricity can be so frustrating. Being able to turn on electricity for residents is a satisfying job,” she says.
Thuso’s day starts at 6am at the Alex City Power Depot. She signs the register and heads to meetings.
“The meetings are around 40 minutes every morning. We receive calls logged and schedules of what needs to be worked on.”
Thuso then makes her way to the system where all calls for electricity issues in the area are logged.
“Once we reach site, we call customers to show us where the problematic meters are. It normally takes 30 minutes to restore once we have tested where the electricity may or may not be transmitting. This is normally just a problem with the breaker,” she says.
Thuso says more complicated restoring happens when there is a cable fault and the test branch needs to be called in. That may take between two to three hours.
She says her job is not without challenges.
“As electricians we also have to remind ourselves we were employed to turn the lights on and service people in our designated areas. Part of the job is to explain what the electric issues are and keep customers calm and informed while we work,” says Thuso.
Another challenge for Thuso is the dangers of the job. She says visiting a mini-substation where many illegal connections are visible always scares her.
“You never know what may happen once you turn on a circuit breaker. It’s for this reason that residents need to do the right thing and have access to electricity the right way. It puts our lives as technicians in danger but also people living nearby because if it’s faulty it could take days to restore,” she explains.
However, the dangers are not enough to deter Thuso. Dressed in her navy blue overalls with a City Power emblem on the left of her shirt, Thuso is always ready with her favourite tool, the tester, in hand to keep the lights on in Alex.
At 6pm, Thuso heads back to the depot to drop off the entity’s vehicle and call it a day. Then she heads home to Kempton Park to spend time with her family and enjoy pap and vleis.
Her husband is also an electrician and her eldest of her two children is passionate about following in their parents’ footsteps.
SOURCED FROM JOBURG WEBSITE AND Written by Sascha-Lee Joseph.
