Eskom says it is facing technical challenges restoring electricity supply in Oudtshoorn, with power expected to be restored by the end of Tuesday, 18 August.

Several customers have been without electricity since Saturday following a major fault on the Dysselsdorp–Oudtshoorn 132 kV line.

The utility says further technical difficulties were discovered during restoration work, requiring additional work before the network can be safely energised.

“Eskom regrets to inform affected customers that electricity supply has not yet been restored in Oudtshoorn. As restoration work progressed towards energising the network, further complex technical difficulties were encountered, resulting in additional work being required,” Eskom said in a statement.

Eskom says the new estimated time of restoration is approximately 18:00.

“We sincerely apologise for the continued outage and the inconvenience caused. We understand the frustration caused by the interruption and changing restoration estimates. We assure customers that our technical teams remain fully committed to restoring electricity and are working tirelessly to achieve this. Eskom will continue to provide updates as restoration work progresses.”