Thousands of Zululanders left powerless amid mass blackout

ZULULANDERS from eNseleni to Hluhluwe endured an almost 24-hour blackout after a windstorm caused extensive faults on several substations last night (Tuesday).

Lights went out on Tuesday night, and power was restored around 4pm Wednesday afternoon.

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According to Eskom, Tuesday night’s heavy winds resulted in parted conductor on the high voltage line between the Impala and eNseleni substations, affecting five substations in total.

These were eNseleni, KwaMbonambi, Mtubatuba, Hluhluwe and Mkhuze.

“Teams worked around the clock to restore power, but progress was hindered by thorny vegetation that needed clearing,” said Eskom in a statement.

Vegetation clearing started on Wednesday morning, with electrical repairs carried out thereafter.

Eskom further called on all affected customers to stay clear of damaged infrastructure, and report faults and unsafe conditions through one of its customer self-service channels.

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