Residents of Ermelo and Wesselton who were left without electricity last week, were wondering whether load shedding has been implemented without any notice from Msukaligwa Municipality.
When the Highvelder enquired at the municipal office about the power outages, the spokesman, Mr Mandla Zwane, said it was not load shedding.
However, Mr Zwane said due to seasonal changes, Msukaligwa could possibly experience power outages because of overloading.
Because many households are now using heaters and electrical appliances, the power substation gets overloaded and power outages are the result.
“Currently Ext 32, 33, 34 in Ermelo are supplied by the 88kV substation at Nomdeni near Autumn Ridge, while Nyibe is privately owned land and is supplied by Eskom as part of the farms,” said Mr Zwane.
There is some hope though as the substation in Ext 33 will begin to supply electricity in June.
The construction of the substation began in 2016 and will see the Nomdeni station deload 25 per cent of the existing 88kV.
The substation will cater for Ext 33 and future developments of the southern parts of Ermelo.
Msukaligwa advised the public to use electricity sparingly to avoid overloading the substations.
“Please save electricity by unplugging appliances that are not in use, insulate water pipes and reduce the thermostat to 60 degrees Celcius,” Mr Zwane advised.
Eskom’s Mpumalanga Operating Unit applauded seven municipalities, including Msukaligwa, for their continuous commitment to service their accounts in line with the electricity supply agreement.
As reported recently by the Highvelder, the municipality’s debt is being paid and is up to date.
Msukaligwa owed R85-million to the power utility giant at the end of March.
