/ 1 May 2007

Still no electricity in Bedfordview

The electricity supply to Bedfordview on Johannesburg’s East Rand is only expected to be restored on Wednesday, Eskom said.

The area has been without electricity since 3am on Monday due to faults in two 132-kilovolt lines, Eskom said in a statement on Tuesday.

“If all goes according to plan, we anticipate that power will be back by noon tomorrow [Wednesday],” said Louis Maleka, general manager for distribution in the north-western area.

Eskom was digging up the line next to the R24 road to find the problem. The underground cabling and multiple faults on the lines were making the repair work more complex and causing delays.

The Citizen reported on Tuesday that traffic was badly affected in the area. At Eastgate shopping centre, only anchor tenants remained open for business.

“Electricity is so essential for the functioning of shops, and a lot of business is being lost,” centre manager Errol Taylor told the newspaper.

Consumers were warned to treat electricity points as live at all times, as power could be restored at any moment.