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Motorists warned about road

Eskom urges motorists to exercise caution

Eskom urges motorists to exercise caution when driving on the R575 between Duvha Power Station and Middelburg Mining Services (MMS) and the R544 between Emalahleni and Duvha Power Station, as normal road traffic is expected to be disrupted by additional coal trucks using the road. Additional road haulage of coal will be undertaken over the next four months, while repair work is conducted on the conveyor belt that is responsible for coal supply to the power station.

On December 21, a section of the conveyor belt caught fire and the conveyor structure was extensively damaged in the process.

The cause of the incident is still under investigation, but the consequence of the incident is that coal supply to Duvha from MMS via the conveyor is totally cut off. Nobody was injured during the incident.

In order to mitigate the impact of this interruption in coal supply via the conveyor system, coal is being moved to Duvha by coal trucks from multiple sources, with the coal from MMS making up the largest part. MMS is situated next to Duvha, hence the distance that trucks are required to travel is minimal. The trucks will move along the R575 and R544 and then for a distance of about 1km on the Duvha road.

Significant work had to be carried out at the Duvha coal gate to accommodate the number of trucks expected and enhance management of the coal trucks.

Traffic and road safety measures and increased resources have been put in place on the route past Duvha to ensure that the impact on public traffic is minimized.

However it is recommended that these routes be avoided where possible. The road passing Duvha is also used as an alternative route to the N4 Middelburg/Emalahleni toll road.

Members of the public are requested to be extra cautious when making use of the road passing Duvha, the R544 to Witbank and the R575 to Middelburg, which is under construction. The incident is not expected to impact electricity users as plans are in place to ensure that coal supply to Duvha is maintained through road deliveries.

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