One of the residents in this area, which is part of the Dihlabeng Local Municipality, told OFM News that they have been hit with interrupted electricity supply for weeks now, with little assistance and communication from the municipality.

Meanwhile, the municipality’s spokesperson, Tsheliso Maitse, tells OFM News that the municipality is hard at work to ensure that the community's frustrations are finally put to bed for good. He says the municipality is currently installing the Auto-Recloser and if everything goes according to plan, the work will be finalised on Tuesday.

According to Maitse, an Auto-Recloser is an automatic medium voltage electric switch that is designed for use on overhead electricity distribution networks to detect and interrupt memory faults.

“Eskom technicians are expected to come around to complete ‘the protection grading’. We are hoping that today the Rosendal community's frustrations will finally be put to bed for good,” Maitse adds.

According to the Eskom spokesperson in the Free State, Stefanie Jansen van Rensburg, there is a fault in the municipal network that results in trips on Eskom's side.

Eskom once threatened to cut the power supply to this municipality due to its debt, which ran into millions. A few years ago Eskom reported that the municipality had accumulated over R190 million in debt.

ALSO READ: Power cuts loom for Dihlabeng

OFM News previously reported the Sasolburg-based Metsimaholo Local Municipality in the province has suffered a loss of almost R2 million with its property either being stolen or damaged by alleged thieves.

According to the Sasolburg-based Metsimaholo Local Municipality’s spokesperson, Gino Alberts, since the beginning of the year, cables worth over R1,9 million were stolen, plunging many houses and businesses into darkness for many days, sometimes for weeks.

ALSO READ: Free State municipality suffers huge loss over cable theft

OFM News