The Msukaligwa Local Municipality recently implemented load shedding in Breyten, but warned that other towns are also at risk due to a constrained power grid.

Mr Mandla Zwane, the spokesman for the Msukaligwa Municipality, said the decision to implement load shedding in Breyten was taken after having experienced overloading in the network which resulted in electrical trips on the Eskom sub for two consecutive days.

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He said the demand is increasing and attributed it to the transition of seasons.

“With winter creeping in, it is alarming of what we might be faced with, the situation is also exacerbated by the number of illegal connections,” he stated.

“The drastic power trips on Eskom’s equipment mainly affected Breyten due to ageing infrastructure.”

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He warned, however, that if the demand keeps increasing, other towns might also be at risk for municipal load shedding.

When questioned on the legality of internal load shedding, he said that according to the municipality’s license conditions, they may implement load shedding if it is required to safeguard the equipment from permanent damage.

Regarding Breyten, he said it was a technical decision to avert a possible blackout in the area.

He concluded that should internal load shedding be implemented, the municipality would inform residents in a timeous manner.