Electricity has finally been restored to Bedfordview, east of Johannesburg, after a three day power failure, South African Broadcasting Corporation news reported on Thursday morning.
Residents said the power supply was restored late on Wednesday night.
The East Rand town has been without electricity since 3am on Monday.
Eskom blamed the power failure on the installation of closed-circuit television cameras along the R24 highway.
Technicians mounting the cameras had apparently drilled too deeply into the ground and damaged the Eskom cable buried one-and-a-half metres underground, Eskom spokesperson Fani Zulu said.
As a result the cable had started losing oil. The line tripped when the oil pressure got too low.
Businesses, especially at the Eastgate shopping centre, said they have lost millions due to the power failure.
Spokesperson for Liberty Life Properties, which owns the shopping centre, said in a statement on Wednesday that businesses had been unable to trade for three days.
”This has had a tremendous effect on tenants who mainly, with the exception of our anchor tenants, have been unable to trade at all,” he said, adding that shoppers had also been inconvenienced.
”This situation will no doubt result in losses to ourselves, tenants and businesses in the area to the tune of millions.”
Angry residents have also complained bitterly about the inconvenience.
Well-known Teazers strip club owner Lolly Jackson said Eskom should rather be called Eishkom.
”We stay in mansions and we live like squatters. The fish in my house are dying and my Koi in the pond outside. I’m going to sue them. If you don’t pay your water and lights they send you [a] summons, so I reckon what’s good for the goose is good for the gander.”
He said he has lived in the area since 1982 and such a long power failure had never occurred. – Sapa