GARDEN ROUTE – Lauren Fredericks, a Knysna social auxiliary worker, died on Wednesday when a tree crushed her parked car during weather response duties in Knysna.
According to a statement, Fredericks had stopped to assess evacuated residents when the tragedy struck. She served on the Department of Social Development’s disaster management team.
Western Cape Social Development Minister Jaco Londt offered condolences: “Our thoughts are with her family – especially her young son – and colleagues.”
He thanked emergency workers aiding vulnerable residents in the weather crisis.
Meanwhile, widespread unplanned power outages have left parts of the Garden Route in the dark, with severe weather conditions disrupting electricity supply in several towns.
Affected areas include Plettenberg Bay, Oudtshoorn and surrounding communities, where multiple outages have been reported amid ongoing storms.
In a statement, Eskom confirmed that the outages were caused by the adverse weather currently impacting the region.
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“Eskom is aware of a widespread unplanned power outage affecting customers across Plettenberg Bay, Oudtshoorn and surrounding areas along the Garden Route. Multiple outages have been caused by severe storm conditions currently impacting the region,” the power utility said.
Eskom added that restoration efforts have been delayed due to safety concerns.
“At this stage, Eskom technicians are unable to safely access and attend to faults due to hazardous weather conditions. Restoration work will only commence once it is safe for teams to do so,” the statement read.
The utility said there is currently no estimated time for power to be restored.
Residents have been urged to exercise caution during the outage.
“Customers are strongly urged to treat all electrical installations as live at all times,” Eskom warned.
The power utility apologised for the inconvenience and said it appreciates customers’ patience while conditions improve and repair work can begin.
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