Western Cape continues efforts to restore power after storm damage

The Western Cape government says efforts to restore electricity to areas affected by recent storm damage are continuing.

Premier Alan Winde says over 84% of affected communities have been reconnected.

Winde and his cabinet have concluded a week-long visit across towns along the West Coast and Winelands Districts, assessing damage.

He says hard work lies ahead to restore the carnage.

“The biggest holdback at the moment to normality or some form of normality in many of these areas is energy. We still hold a daily joust with Eskom and are slowly but surely getting the power back up and running across these regions. There are still some parts that are going to take quite a while still. Pylons have fallen down or been blown down, poles have been washed away; and cables are cut across the river—sometimes, in three, and four places. Those cables have broken through the forest area in the Garden Route. So, a lot of clearing has to be done, a lot of very, very wet soil to try and get into. Also, some hard rock.”