Electricity utility Eskom said its technicians are continuing restoration efforts across six district and metropolitan municipalities in the Eastern Cape, after severe weather conditions left scores of communities without power.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, 12 May, the state-owned power company confirmed that heavy rainfall and strong winds had caused widespread damage to its infrastructure across the province, and warned that the full extent of the damage was still being uncovered.
“As anticipated, additional areas have been discovered that have also been impacted,” Eskom said in the statement, adding that access to some affected areas remained a significant obstacle. “This happens as the weather improves, access continues to be a challenge in some of the areas.”
The affected municipalities span a vast stretch of the Eastern Cape, including the Alfred Nzo, Amathole, Chris Hani, OR Tambo, and Sarah Baartman District Municipalities, as well as the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality.
Dozens of towns and villages remain without electricity, ranging from Matatiele and Lusikisiki in the district municipalities to more than thirty communities within Buffalo City alone; including Ethembeni, Kwelerha, Ndevana, and Openshaw (Wards 32 and 26), among others.
The Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality appears to bear the heaviest burden of the outages, with a lengthy list of affected communities including Tyutyu, Mdingi, Masingatha, Tolofiyeni, Zeleni, Maxhalanga, Nothenga Trust 2, Pexdale, Dikidikana, Ngqolowa, Zinyoka, Cwengcwe, Rhamnyiba, Mncotsho, Tshatshu, Dailview, Nokhala Village, Mpolweni, Velwano, Mapantsulweni (Ward 49), Tyhusha, Xesi, Sandile, and Khulile, among others.
In the Chris Hani District, towns including Elliot, Ugie, Engcobo, Cala, and Whittlesea are still waiting for power to be restored, while OR Tambo communities such as Coffee Bay, Qunu, Mqanduli, Qumbu, Flagstaff, and Lusikisiki remain affected.
Eskom said it had prioritised all listed areas and deployed additional resources to accelerate the restoration process, but cautioned that timelines remained uncertain.
“Restoration will take longer as weather conditions continue to hinder the speed at which work can be undertaken,” the utility warned.
Residents are being urged to exercise caution in the meantime. “We thank customers for their continued patience and urge them to treat all electric appliances as live until their power is restored,” Eskom said.
Customers can report faults through several channels, including Eskom’s Alfred Chatbot online or on WhatsApp at 086 003 7566, the MyEskom Customer App (available on the iStore and Google Play), the Eskom Contact Centre at 086 003 7566, or by emailing EasternCape@eskom.co.za.
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