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Power outage to hit Soweto mall and hospital today
Eskom issued a disclaimer warning that unprecedented events may affect the planned maintenance.
Power outages will occur in certain areas of Soweto as Eskom performs some planned maintenance this week. Picture: iStock
Residents of Soweto’s Jabulani area are bracing for a power outage on Friday.
“Eskom would like to inform customers in Soweto of an electricity supply interruption due to maintenance to be conducted on the distribution network,” said the utility in a statement.
The outage, scheduled from 8.30am to 6pm, will affect customers in the Jabulani area, including the Jabulani Shopping Centre, Bheki Mlangeni Hospital, and Jabulani flats.
Maintenance aims to ensure safety and reliability
According to Eskom, the interruption in electricity supply is necessary to perform essential maintenance on distribution power lines.
“In the interest of safety, customers are advised to treat all electrical appliances as live at all times during the power supply outage,” the utility advised residents.
Eskom has expressed gratitude to residents for their cooperation and apologised for any inconvenience caused by the maintenance.
However, the utility has also issued a disclaimer warning that unprecedented events may affect the planned maintenance.
“Please note that, should circumstances beyond the control of Eskom arise, the planned electricity maintenance may not proceed as communicate.”
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A welcome respite from load shedding
The planned maintenance comes as a welcome relief to South Africans, who have enjoyed a rare stretch without load shedding.
It has been several months since the last instance of load shedding.
On 30 August Eskom announced a 156 days of load shedding suspension.
“156 days of constant energy supply and R11.08 billion reduction in diesel expenditure achieved.”
In a recent statement the utility revealed that it made “significant” progress in reducing unplanned outages.
The Unplanned Capacity Loss Factor (UCLF) decreased to 25.6% for the financial year from 1 April
2024 to 29 August 2024.
“This reduction in UCLF represents a 9% improvement compared to the same period last year.”
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The utility cautioned that the risk of load reduction remains due to vandalism, illegal connections and cable theft. It urged residents to use electricity wisely.
“To prevent public safety hazards and the risk of network overloading which can lead to load reduction measures and extended unplanned power outages, Eskom strongly urges customers to avoid illegal connections, as this can negatively impact the entire local community. It is also essential for customers to ensure they purchase electricity only from authorised vendors.”
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