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Illegal connections blamed for power outages

Eskom has called for the communities assistance to manage the load by switching off appliances such as heaters and geysers when not in use.

July 2, 2020

Charmaine Mazibuko 2 minutes read

Eskom claims network overloading and illegal connections are the main cause of frequent power outages in Osizweni.

“Eskom is aware of the significant rise in network overloading resulting from illegal connections in the Osizweni area of Newcastle. Our technicians have identified a problem on the Vlaklaagte network breaker (NB43) which has been affecting our customers for a while, especially during the winter season,” the power utility stated in an official statement.

The Enyonini community, erupted into chaos recently, when residents protested about intermittent electricity outages in the area. Sthembiso Khumalo, a resident in Mndozo, Osizweni, said he was dissatisfied with Eskom’s service.

“The unpleasant treatment we are getting from Eskom as a service provider to us, the community, honestly leaves much to be desired. Several times I called the call centre to report the problem that we are facing as a community. Since last month, May, we are experiencing problems with power supply in the entire area of Mndozo, which happens from 4pm until 10pm every day. The matter has been reported several times but nothing is being done and no explanation is being given to us as the community. I have reference numbers to prove what I’m saying. On June 16, we had no electricity from 8am until after 10pm. We went the whole day without cooking food, without light and without bathing. We are currently in the winter season, and we also want to keep ourselves warm. I kindly request Eskom to respect our rights as the community and do what is right,” Khumalo said irately.

Dicks Halt residents, also affected by constant electrical outages, descended on the Eskom offices on June 22, in the Riverside Industrial area, accompanied by Ward 33 councillor, Mbongiseni Thwala.

“Eskom told us they were sending teams to fix three transformers in our area today (June 22). It has confirmed power outages will continue throughout winter. They requested that I relay a message back to the community to explain the situation regarding illegal connections, which, according to them, affects the proper running of the power utility,” stated Thwala.

Eskom has explained the network supplies 4908 legal customers, so when a large number of illegal connections are made, it exerts strain on the network.

“The network is overloaded and there is also a voltage drop towards the end of the line. When there is a network overload, Eskom is forced to de-load it by switching off some of our customers, which then affects the Jakkalspan area at the end of the line. The leading cause of the network overload is the perpetual problem of illegal connections, meter bypasses and other theft-related activities on our infrastructure, which contributes to prolonged electricity interruptions, leaving our communities without power for days. Eskom continues to safeguard its assets by auditing, removing illegal connections and fixing bypassed meters in an effort to protect the integrity of its networks.”

The power utility has called for the communities assistance to manage the load by switching off appliances such as heaters, stoves and geysers when not in use; and to only use these when absolutely necessary, in order to help stabilise the network at a local level.