The spokesperson of Mangaung Metro Municipality's power utility Centlec, Lele Mamatu, says the estimated time for restoration is unknown at tise moment. Affected parts of the city include Waterbron, Oranje, Sopieshoogte, Kenilworth, Tempe Airport, Mooiwater, Spitskop, parts of Groenvlei, Bainsvlei Riool, Langenhoven Park, parts of Universitas, Brandkop, Pellissier, parts of Fichardt Park, Rosepark Hospital, parts of Hospitaalpark, parts of Universitas, parts of Wilgehof, Mediclinic, Bram Fischer, Checkers Centre, Westdene. Mamatu apologises for the inconvenience caused by the outage.

The power failure came moments before the scheduled planned power interruption would have kicked in. In a notice to residents about the interruption, Kagisanong, Rocklands, Phase 2, Bloemanda and Ipopeng are included in the list of areas which will be affected by the interruption. 

An interruption scheduled to take place from 09:00 till 16:00 on Friday 17 February 2023, alternatively from 09:00 until 16:00 on Thursday 23 February 2023 was also announced. The reason for the planned interruption is due to necessary construction and maintenance upgrades on the network.  

Also read: South of Bloemfontein left powerless

On Sunday, 12 February 2023, residents who reside in the south of Bloemfontein woke up to no power as part of the scheduled interruption. Maintenance was initially supposed to be done on Sunday 5 February 2023, however, it did not happen. Affected areas include Bloemdal, Ferreira, Lourierpark, Casino, Bloemdal Riool, Hyperama, Game, Vista Park, Fleurdal, Uitsig, Fauna, De Wet, Lengau Pao Test, Coca-Cola Depo, Kenworth Spar, Bloemanda, Hillside, JB Mafora, Phahameng, part of Rocklands, parts of Bochabela, Grootvlei Prison, Groep 5 Prison, parts of Grassland, Grootvlei, Hamilton, Namibia SQ, Kagisanong, Turflaagte, Chris Hani, Freedom SQ, Bloemside, Erlichpark, parts of Vista Park, Kotsong and Bloemanda Phase 2.

Also read: Power outage in parts of Mangaung

During December of 2022, the Spitskop feeder tripped which caused power loss in Langenhoven Park, Bainsvlei and Limousine. Some parts were without power for at least 30 hours, and efforts have been made to ensure that power is restored to the affected areas. At the time he said “I can confirm that we are experiencing [power outages] in a number of areas in the city, and this has been from yesterday (Friday 1 December 2022). As a result, we have dispatched a [team] including electricians to attend to the areas that are affected.”

UPDATE: Electricity has been restored to some parts of Bloemfontein following Friday morning’s outage. Centlec’s spokesperson, Lele Mamatu, said the supply to Medi Clinic and Bram Fischer has been restored via alternative feeders. However, there are still some areas in the city affected by the outrage. This include Checkers Centre, Westdene, parts of Arboretum, parts of Fichardt Park, parts of Willows, Pellissier, Rosepark Hospital, Langenhoven Park, Mooiwater, Spitskop, parts of Groenvlei, Bainsvlei Riool, Arcadia, Waterbron, Oranje, Sopieshoogte, Kenilworth, and Tempe Airport. 

Mamatu concluded, saying for the areas that are still affected by the outrage, he unfortunately cannot give an estimation for restoration due to the amount of work required at the Park West distribution center.

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