A corroded 132kV transmission tower in Nelson Mandela Bay is at risk of collapse, raising urgent concerns about ageing infrastructure and recent failures that left residents in darkness.

An oversight visit by the Democratic Alliance to Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality's high-voltage transmission line near Sardinia Bay has revealed at least one pylon that is heavily corroded and extensively rusted.

A few of the pylon's latticework structures, integral to its construction, are rusted through and have separated.

While the pylons in this area are still in use, monopoles were planted next to them eight or nine years ago to replace the deteriorating masts, but the cables were never transferred.

This contract ended in 2017. A contract for the maintenance of the pylons was put out for tender in 2021 and awarded in September 2022.

However, the implementation of the contract has been delayed several times. Reasons include referrals of the award to the metro's legal department and legal objections from at least two prominent law firms in the city, which were refuted by electricity officials.

Appeals by officials, desperate to get the contract in place, were made as high up as the mayor's office. Documentation included dire warnings that the city would lose available grant funding as the delays were preventing its timely expenditure.

Two sets of high-voltage pylons in Nelson Mandela Bay have already collapsed -- the first...