Durban hit by further blackouts as load-shedding damages infrastructure

Continuous load-shedding has led to faulty electricity networks in Durban, leaving residents in the dark for longer than expected.

The eThekwini municipality said on Wednesday it was aware of multiple outages throughout the city.

“The power outages are due to load-shedding. City technicians are working to restore power. However, the speed of work is dependent on the extent of repairs required. We can confirm that several substations have already been restored while others are still being attended to.”

The city said the trips after load-shedding were "due to in-rush currents when networks are switched back on”.

“To minimise the possibilities of trips residents are advised to switch off non-essential appliances during load-shedding.

“When electricity supply returns, residents must not switch on appliances such as heaters, air conditioners, geysers, stoves and pool pumps all at once.”

The city has advised that appliances be switched on 15 minutes apart to reduce the risk of prolonged outages.

“Residents must also take note that load-shedding has a huge negative impact on electrical equipment as it was not designed for such frequent switching. Therefore, there is a higher volume of faults during load-shedding.”

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