Power restored at Qalakabusha residential complex

Residents of Qalakbusha residential complex in Empangeni endured a 72-hour electrical outage before power was restored over the weekend.

While relieved about the return of power supply, residents said food in their fridges had spoiled due to the extended outage.

“Technicians worked hard to get power back on Friday, but the darkness kept them from completing the job in the evening.

“The power was finally restored at around 9am on Saturday,” said one resident, commending efforts to ensure electricity was restored to the prison complex.

Speaking to the ZO last week, a resident who requested anonymity said power went off at around 1pm on Wednesday.

He said the initial response from the municipality was that the ‘equipment to locate the fault was defective and would have to be outsourced’, after which they would have to get permission from Eskom to shut down the substation.

“This is after we endured an almost 16-hour power interruption on 24 August,” said the resident.

It is, however, unknown what caused the outage.

Meanwhile, Eskom announced this week it is investigating theft and vandalism at Zircon substation, which has affected supply to customers in the Madlankala, Gobandlovu, Mpembeni, Mabuyeni and eSikhaleni areas.

“Eskom technicians have assessed the damage and are in the process of testing and replacing damaged equipment and cables, which is expected to take some time to complete due to the nature of the damage.

“Eskom teams are working tirelessly to restore supply to customers as quickly as possible,” said Eskom KZN spokesperson Joyce Zingoni.

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