ESKOM WILL CONDUCT AUDITS BEFORE REPLACING FAILED TRANSFORMERS IN KAE

Eskom says that with the increased number of communities across Gauteng bypassing their meters and illegally connecting themselves to the network, there has been a rise in the vandalism of pole mounted transformers and mini-substations, which leads to network overloading and subsequently fail and explode as their protections have been interfered with.

Due to the backlog caused by the high equipment failure, resource constraints coupled with community resistance, it may take up to three months to repair and restore supply after a full audit process is completed. Eskom added that it is committed to restoring supply in affected areas.

Before any transformer is repaired or replaced resulting from overloading, Eskom will follow a strict process of electricity audits to avoid the repeat of damage to the equipment and electricity network. The process will include removing illegal connections. Disconnecting bypassed meters, issuing fines for contraventions and reprogramming the meter key change tokens.

At the time of publishing, 24 communities in Kaalfontein, Allandale, Ebony Park (KAE) and Ivory Park have been without electricity for periods ranging from a number of days to two months. We anticipate the electricity to be restored in electricity paying households in the month of September.

Eskom says it promotes the safe, legal and smart use of electricity. Non-payment of electricity not only has a negative impact on security of supply for paying customers, but also contributes to increased energy and revenue losses, coupled with increased operational costs for Eskom.

For more information contact Eskom’s Contact centre on 08600 37566 or SMS your query and meter number to 35328.