Wednesday,
15 July 2020: Eskom is experiencing a high number of
faults in greater Cape Town and parts of the Western Cape after the recent
storms caused severe damage to network infrastructure.
Due to the extreme storm damage to the
network, customers in some areas are experiencing prolonged periods without
electricity. Operators are working around the clock to repair equipment and
restore supply to customers.
With over 1000 active faults logged,
Eskom is experiencing serious resource constraints during a time where COVID-19
has affected some of the field operators. Some employees have tested
positive and others are self-isolating due to exposure to the virus.
Eskom has managed to bring in
contractors to assist with medium voltage (MV) and high voltage (HV) faults and
has included its Major Engineering Works Construction teams to do repairs as
additional support.
Another serious problem in the greater
Cape Town area is illegal connections that are putting further strain on the
network by causing overloading and damaged equipment, resulting in loss of
supply. Certain areas in Cape Town are also known to be volatile and
dangerous, and operators often put their lives at risk when they enter such
areas to repair the network. At times armed response security guards have
to escort technicians while they work.
Unfortunately, all of this comes at a
time where Eskom is loadshedding, which may result in some customers being
affected for much longer than the two and a half hour timeslot. When
power is restored after load shedding, nuisance tripping sometimes occurs.
Customers are encouraged to reduce the risk of nuisance tripping by switching
off all electrical appliances, especially their geysers, before load shedding
is scheduled to take place. Customers can switch on their geysers approximately
30 minutes after their supply has been restored.
Prioritisation of Fault Backlog
In order to deal with the backlog of
faults, Eskom is prioritising its response by the size and duration of the
faults. Faults that have left customers without electricity supply for more
than 48 hours will take priority, thereafter, faults for more than 24 hours
until the most recent faults can be dealt with.
Faults on the MV and HV network impact
a large number of customers and these are also being prioritised.
Western Cape General Manager for
Distribution, Alwie Lester, acknowledges the frustration that customers are
experiencing.
“Multiple teams of operators have been
and will continue to be dispatched into the affected areas to ensure that
electricity supply is restored as soon as possible. I wish to sincerely
apologise to all our customers who are experiencing long periods without
electricity during this extremely cold winter.”
For further enquiries or to report
faults, customers may contact the Eskom Share Call number at 0860037566 or
email customerservices@eskom.co.za.
This service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Eskom customers normally serviced by
the Bellville, Khayelitsha and Kraaifontein Hubs may also use these local
contact options on weekdays between 08h00 – 16h00:
- Bellville Hub at 076 782 9481 (WhatsApp
and SMS only)
ENDS