Eskom Delmas transformer on fire, emergency units dispatched [in photos]

Eskom reported on Saturday 19 September that a transformer in Delmas, Mpumalanga was on fire and confirmed that emergency units have been dispatched. Here’s what we know.

Eskom Delmas transformer in flames

The power utility said on social media that Delmas and Botleng residents are affected. Unfortunately, and the estimated time of return (ETR) is still “unknown at this stage”.

Eskom confirmed that maintenance teams are on site. We will provide updates as soon as more information becomes available.

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Eskom load reduction – Saturday 19 September

Eskom said in a statement late Friday evening, 18 September, that it would be implementing load reduction in Mpumalanga on Saturday from 5:00 to 9:00, “due to overloading of the network.”

“Overloading poses a danger to people and property in the affected communities. Eskom is battling to keep up with the increased equipment failures caused by overloading that is costing millions to repair”.

Residents in Driekoppies, Aniva, Kahhoyi, Steenbok, Mshadza, Matsulu B and Oakley were notified of outages. One netizen said Eskom “must burn” because the “ailing infrastructure cannot take this load reduction on and off”.

Will there be load shedding over the weekend?

Eskom said it does not expect to implement load shedding this week, as per a statement shared on Friday.

“The power system is currently stable […] However, Eskom would like to remind the public that the power system remains unreliable and vulnerable, and will communicate timeously should there be any significant changes”.

Eskom also thanked the “people of South Africa for their cooperation during the difficulties imposed by the constrained power system”.