Illegal power, cable theft and overloading of transformers are the major problems that hamper the supply of electricity on the West Rand, according to Eskom.
This was revealed by the power utility during its 2018 Winter Plan conference held in Randfontein on Wednesday, 11 July. These issues also tend to escalate during winter periods.
However, the company said it is often the actions of people that leave them stranded without power for extended periods.
The company said instead of communities protesting about power outages in their areas, they should follow the proper channels to report their grievances.
Nkosana Sibuyi, head of corporate affairs for the Gauteng Operating Unit, said, “We do know and also acknowledge that during this period people tend to complain about power outages and electricity supply disruptions”.
Thokozani Nsele, manager of the Randfontein Customer Relations said due to the company’s financial constraints, priority is given to its loyal customers.
“We do not shy away from the fact that we provide a service and expect a payment. If this did not happen, we would not be honouring our #1 priority,” Nsele said.
Nsele went on to discuss combating illegal connections and the advanced methods that will completely curb the problem
“We always try to educate our customers to see the impact of irresponsible behaviour on the network and ultimately on themselves, because at the end of the day, it is they who will be affected by the frequent outages,” Victor Ramagaga, communications and stakeholder officer, said.
Eskom said all its winter plans have been activated in order for its networks to be able sustain the extreme weather conditions and increased electricity demand. The company’s turnaround time for network faults and power restoration will also be improved.
“Part of the plan is to implement measures that will assist in preventing possible equipment failures and incidents; manage network delivery failures for the national and provincial networks; implement emergency preparedness plans to manage power system interruptions that might materialise and to increase capacity at our contact centre,” Eskom said.
Eskom also urged people to report illegal connections on 08600 675 66 or send an SMS to Crime Line on 32211. They can also report incidents to the local police or Eskom office.
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