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The Nelson Mandela Bay municipality is battling a mounting electricity crisis, with more than 1,100 faults affecting low-voltage cable and overhead line networks across the metro.
As a result, the city has hired additional subcontractors.
The municipality said on Wednesday that ageing infrastructure, vandalism, cable theft, severe weather conditions and overloaded networks were placing increasing strain on the power system, leaving communities and businesses frustrated by recurring outages.
However, in a statement, the municipality said it was implementing intensified interventions to address ongoing electricity outages.
“The municipality acknowledges the frustration and inconvenience experienced by residents and businesses affected by the outages.
“Technical and operational teams continue to work extended hours daily, including late evenings and weekends, to reduce the impact on communities and accelerate restoration times.”
Mayor Babalwa Lobishe said they understood the frustration and hardship experienced.
“As a caring and responsive municipality, our priority remains the safety, dignity and well-being of our communities.
“Our technical teams are working tirelessly, often until late at night, to restore power, stabilise the network and reduce the impact on families, businesses, schools and essential services.
She said to strengthen response capacity and improve turnaround times, the metro had hired additional subcontractors.
“The municipality remains committed to stabilising the electricity network through ongoing maintenance, infrastructure upgrades, improved response co-ordination and targeted interventions aimed at protecting critical infrastructure from vandalism and criminality.
“Residents are urged to report acts of vandalism, illegal connections, cable theft and damaged infrastructure, as these activities continue to affect service delivery negatively and delay restoration efforts across the metro.
“The municipality further appeals for patience and co-operation as teams continue working around the clock to restore affected areas as safely and quickly as possible.”
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