Wind downs power in Gamalakhe

Strong winds and severe weather caused widespread power outages in Gamalakhe, Paddock, Nyandezulu and other areas last week.

In Gamalakhe, damage to Eskom infrastructure was visible with transformers lying on the ground for days, which had fallen from the poles they were mounted on.

Ward 26 resident Nelisa Ntombela said her power went out last Tuesday, and all she heard was a bang before the lights went off.

“I was so scared. We came out to check what had happened, only to see the transformer on the ground. It has been a cold few days without power. We have been surviving on takeaways, but now the fast food restaurant has temporarily closed because they don’t have a generator. Aside from the fact that we could no longer afford takeaways, we also do not have a gas stove,” said Ntombela.

Her neighbour, Mamelo Shabalala, said what was more worrying was that their meat was going off in their freezers.

In a statement, KZN Eskom spokesperson, Zethu Sonjica, said the severe weather caused significant disruptions to the electricity supply.

Sonjica said affected areas included Gamalakhe, Harding, Paddock, Umzimkhulu and surrounding areas.

She said Eskom has deployed technical teams to attend to faults in accessible areas.

“There are 17 networks, affecting 7 000 customers, where damaged infrastructure is being rebuilt and conductors are being restrung. It is anticipated that much of the work still outstanding will be cleared this week,” she said.

Sonjica added that the power utility acknowledges the inconvenience and disruption this has caused to homes, businesses and tourist destinations over the long weekend.

“We reassure the public that every available resource has been mobilised, and our field teams are working long hours to get lights back on,” she said.

She added that customers still experiencing power outages are encouraged to log a fault using any of Eskom’s self-service channels.

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