Western Cape residents face challenges in power restoration after floods

The severe weather that affected the Western Cape led to 200 major trips on their network, with a total of 9 000 faults subsequently reported.

Residents in the Western Cape are working to rebuild following a devastating storm, with the provincial government reporting that progress is being made in mop-up operations and the restoration of essential services.

Eskom reported that the two severe weather events that affected the Western Cape led to 200 major trips on their network, with a total of 9 000 faults subsequently reported.

Currently, approximately 70% of all faults have been restored, but the remaining approximately 30% present significant challenges due to areas still submerged under floodwater, high-voltage pylons destroyed in difficult-to-reach mountain areas, and secondary lines where routes need to be completely redesigned after the original infrastructure was destroyed during the floods.

Western Cape MEC for Environmental Affairs and Development Planning, Anton Bredell, said Eskom and all stakeholders are working around the clock to repair essential infrastructure as quickly as possible.