Diepkloof outage linked to outstanding debt on Eskom account, says City Power

Johannesburg City Power shed light on outages which prompted a protest and looting at Diepkloof hostel in Soweto on Saturday.

Johannesburg metro police (JMPD) are monitoring protesters after they blocked the N12 east/N1 north highway at the Diepkloof Interchange, as well as Chris Hani Road, with burning tyres and debris.

“Two trucks were also looted during the early morning disruptions,” said metro police spokesperson Supt Xolani Fihla.

City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangema said they were aware of the protest linked to the ongoing power outage.

“An initial fault was reported on Monday. City Power teams attended to the matter on Tuesday and confirmed the fault was on the Eskom network.

“Eskom technicians were deployed to the site on Wednesday. An initial fault was identified and repaired. However during the restoration process a second fault was detected and also attended to. Eskom has confirmed that repairs to the faulty cable have been completed.”

He said, however, supply to Diepkloof hostel has been isolated by Eskom and will not be restored at this stage due to an outstanding debt on the account linked to the facility. This outage continues to affect the hostel.

He said they are engaging with relevant stakeholders.

Eskom didn’t immediately respond to queries.

Last month the power utility said it had taken a decisive step regarding defaulting municipalities, announcing it had initiated a formal legal process that could lead to electricity supply interruptions or limits for 14 municipalities across the country.

Citing a “persistent rise” in municipal debt which has surpassed R110bn, the utility has turned to the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act (Paja) to begin a public consultation process, a necessary legal requirement to ensure transparency before any service interruptions are implemented.

TimesLIVE