The entire Western Cape was without power during the early hours of Sunday following faults on transmission lines that were the result of misty conditions and residual pollution from recent fires, according to Eskom.
Spokesperson Fanie Zulu said that by 7.30am large parts of the province were still without power.
”We are in the process of checking interaction between the national control and the City of Cape Town control room. They are increasing their supply.”
No trains were running in the Western Cape on Sunday following the widespread power failure, Metrorail said.
”There are no trains running until power is restored, and Eskom says that could take a day,” said Metrorail spokesperson Riana Jacobs.
She said the trains get their power directly from Eskom.
Asked if any passengers were stranded between stations when the power went off, Jacobs said the power went off at 4am, ”so I have no reports of people on the trains”.
”That would mean they [the trains] were more or less all at their stabling yards,” she said.
Gauteng
Meanwhile, in Johannesburg, parts of the northern suburbs also experienced a power failure.
South African Broadcasting Corporation radio news reported City Power saying tests were being carried out on the power tripping system. Areas affected included Hurst Hill, Victory Park and Rosebank.
Traffic lights were out of order in most parts of Ekurhuleni on Sunday morning following a power failure, the metro police said.
Spokesperson Kobeli Mokheseng said traffic lights were out in Witfield and Morganridge, Boksburg, because of problems with an electricity circuit breaker. Technicians were replacing it.
In Germiston, the areas affected were Meadowdale, Meadowbrook, Dawnview and Primrose.
”We were told that the incomer from Eskom keeps on tripping, but that technicians were working on it at the Germiston North substation,” said Mokheseng.
Asking motorists to be patient and exercise caution, he said no accidents had been reported so far.
Back in Cape Town, Eskom’s Zulu said the first interruption took place at 2.45am and that technicians had begun making repeated reconnections until power failed in the entire province.
He said the Sunday-morning power outage was not related to problems at Koeberg power station, which caused a power cut in the Western Cape on Saturday. — Sapa