Durban — Eskom in KwaZulu-Natal has intensified efforts to restore electricity to severely affected areas following the weekend’s storms.
This has been made especially challenging by the impact of the devastation on roads, bridges and other access infrastructure.
Areas severely impacted are:
Bergville, Dundee, Estcourt, Glencoe, Harding, Hibberdene, Ladysmith, Mtubatuba, Nkandla, Nquthu, Park Rynie, Paulpietersburg, Stanger, Ulundi, uMzimkhulu, Vryheid and Wartburg.
Eskom KZN and Free State cluster general manager Agnes Mlambo said multidisciplinary teams are on the ground managing restoration efforts.
“We have deployed technicians to prioritise the approximately three thousand reports of loss of supply. We appeal for patience from our customers as restoration may take longer than usual due to access challenges. Meanwhile, we urge affected customers to treat all electrical installations as live during this time,” Mlambo said.
Additionally, customers can report Eskom supply issues can:
- Use Alfred the Chatbot by connecting to http://alfred.eskom.co.za/chatroom/.
- Use the MyEskom Customer App (available on the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store).
- Contact Eskom’s Customer Contact Centre at 08600 ESKOM (37566) or via email to KwaZuluNatal@eskom.co.za
On Sunday, the KZN Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) said the heavy rains have also caused damage to water and electricity infrastructure, leaving some communities in eThekwini and Stanger without water and electricity.
Cogta said that in eThekwini Metro, some roads and bridges have been affected by the heavy rain, resulting in some roads being completely closed, limiting access to communities, and social and economic facilities.
Cogta MEC Bongiwe Sithole-Moloi said they are co-ordinating with other departments such as Social Development, Home Affairs, Human Settlements, Education and Eskom to assist them in providing a comprehensive response in all aspects.
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Daily News