As cold fronts hit SA, Eskom warns of power disruptions

Eskom has warned of electricity supply interruptions in parts of the Eastern Cape and Western Cape due to bad weather.

Earlier this week, the South African Weather Service (SAWS) warned of two winter systems that are hitting the country, with their impact extending into the weekend.

The first system made landfall on Thursday in the Western Cape, causing wintry conditions to persist over the southern parts of the country. The system will also deliver rainfall over the central interior of the country, "a relatively uncommon occurrence for this time of year", the SAWS said.

Cold conditions can be expected to arrive over parts of Mpumalanga and southern Gauteng on Friday, the SAWS said.

The second weather system will develop during Friday over the western interior of the country, bringing windy and cold conditions across most parts of the country during Friday and Saturday.

Unfortunately, the severe weather conditions can affect electricity restoration time, said Eskom, urging affected customers to be patient and to treat all electricity appliances as live during this time.

South Africa’s power system is already constrained after an explosion caused extensive generator damage at Medupi power station’s unit 4. 

• READ | Medupi blast: Repairs could cost up to R2 billion and take two years, De Ruyter says

This means a loss of approximately 700 MW, with the repairs taking up to two years, Eskom CEO André de Ruyter told Fin24.