Storm causes electricity outages

The storm that hit the city on Saturday evening provided some relief from the drought but also caused damage to cables and equipment that supply electricity to some areas of the city.
On Sunday, acting Communications and Marketing Manager of Polokwane Municipality Matshidiso Mothapo reported that the electricity supply to residents from zone 8 in Seshego, the block around Oost and Van Zyl Slabbert streets in the city and surrounding areas will be off for the whole day following damage caused by the storm. “The cables at Oost and Van Zyl Slabbert streets as well as the overhead line laying on the ground have been burnt. In zone 8 the municipality is fixing damage caused by a pole that has fallen down. Unfortunately, due to the amount of work to be done it is not possible to mention the exact time when power will be restored. The municipality will continue to work around the clock to repair the damage,” Mothapo reported.
Mothapo advised residents from other affected areas to report power outages to the municipality on 015 290 2000/2001/2457 and mentioned that the municipality is receiving a number of reports due to the storm and it might take a while to respond.
“All wires should be treated as live to avoid injury and all electrical appliances be switched off to avoid damage when power is restored,” Mothapo warned.
On Monday Mothapo reported that the municipality is working around the clock to restore electricity to the affected areas. “The two main areas that have been hit hard are the Fharanani area in Bendor where there is an underground cable fault and the block at Oos and Van Zyl Slabbert streets where all the overhead cables including a transformer burnt. The Fharanani area will be temporarily connected through a generator as it will take much longer to fix. Most of the work at Oost and Van Zyl Slabbert streets has been done and it is expected to be switched on later tonight. The municipality responded to many areas since early Sunday morning and appeals for patience in areas that have not yet been responded to,” Mothapo informed.
On Tuesday afternoon Mo­thapo confirmed that the electricity supply to the Oost and Van Zyl Slabbert areas were restored on Monday evening and that the work at the Fharanani area should be completed by late afternoon. Mothapo also offered the municipality’s apologies for belated responses to single complaints and explained that the majority of the municipality’s work force were deployed to attend to the major challenges.

Story: BARRY VILJOEN
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