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[File] Candle burns during a power outage
Some residents of Walmer township in Nelson Mandela Bay, Eastern Cape, say they have been left in complete darkness, with no access to the rotational power relief being implemented in other parts of Gqeberha.
Earlier this month, the collapse of a pylon in the Chelsea-Arlington-Walmer-Summerstrand transmission disrupted electricity supply and left large parts of the city without power.
Gale-force winds have been blamed for the collapse of the pylon.
While the load rotation has been implemented in the affected areas, Walmer township community members, Ntombekhaya Mthathi and Ayanda Bhatyi, say they have had no power at all for over a week.
“The last time we had power was last Saturday with the load rotation; it has been completely dark since then. Nobody is saying anything; we are left in the dark. Our businesses are on a standstill because we don’t have generators. I also have a sick mother whose medication needs to be kept cold.”
“It’s troubling for us not to have electricity. I have to wake up and make a fire just to boil water, and there is waste in the fridges. We are asking that our power be fixed in this area,” said another resident.
Meanwhile, the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality says steady progress is being made to restore electricity supply following damage to infrastructure along the Arlington–Summerstrand line.
The metro says all twelve monopoles have been installed so far, with backfilling currently underway and conductor stringing continuing.
