ESKOM in the Western Cape said they currently don’t have an estimated restoration time for the damaged electricity infrastructure in the Karoo region after a month of darkness.
The affected small towns, including Sutherland, Roggeveld, Laingsburg, Ladysmith, Leeu Gamka, Swartberg, Merville, Matjiesfontein, Prince Albert, and Fraserburg, are without electricity.
Among other damages, huge electricity pylons crashed to the ground, causing outages around the Karoo region.
According to Eskom’s general manager in the Cape Coastal Cluster Mbulelo Yedwa, the damages were due to bad weather in the region over the weekend.
“Several Eskom teams are on the ground working on the restoration of electricity. However, there's currently no estimated time of restoration,” Yedwa said.
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Yedwa said some parts of Sutherland and Buffelspoort have already been brought back online due to the efforts of the workers who have been on the ground since yesterday.
“Eskom has sourced three 315kVA generators, which are available for temporary use of critical and essential loads. Specialised equipment, which includes a fifty-five-ton crane and a twenty-ton jackhammer, is required for rock drilling and planting of the electricity structures. Additional construction teams and contractors from the Eastern Cape have been called in to support the recovery operation,” said Yedwa.
Meanwhile, vandals have left residents from Bathasig without power after electricity cables were stolen along the N7 highway in Cape Town.
“Illegal connections, cable theft and vandalism are a major problem throughout the Western Cape that poses a serious threat to the network, causing continuous electricity supply problems to customers and local businesses,” Eskom said.
