Moz to electrify KZN town

2009-01-07 18:11

Johannesburg - KwaZulu-Natal's Manguzi town on the north coast will soon be spared South Africa's blackouts, thanks to Eskom's decision to connect the small town to Mozambique's power grid.

Alison Ncube, the mayor of Umhlabuyalingana Municipality which incorporates Manguzi town, said on Tuesday the state utility and the municipality had sourced power from Mozambique to supply the town's increasing demand for electricity.

"We decided to approach Mozambique because there is a big demand for electricity in Manguzi. The project started a few months ago and it is about to be completed.

"The project will see hundreds of homes and businesses getting reliable electricity," he said.

Eskom declared an embargo on all applications for electricity connections submitted after November 2004 because the existing infrastructure in Manguzi was unable to handle the electricity demand.

Once the project is complete, the Manguzi town would be spared rolling blackouts that happen when the state utility Eskom struggles to meet demand.

Although there have been no power cuts recently, Eskom continues to warn electricity users to use power sparingly.

- SAPA