The Maluti-A-Phofung Local Municipality's spokesperson, Thabo Khesa, explained to OFM News that the main cause behind extreme blackouts, which have left some communities without electricity for a week now, is due to high demand and usage which outweigh the supply from Eskom.

According to Khesa, the infrastructure is ageing and cannot take the strain, specifically from Qwaqwa, which is the reason why Qwaqwa is the only area in the municipality experiencing severe power outages.

He further explained that the municipality’s strategy to ensure they put an end to the electricity crisis in Qwaqwa, is through engaging with the community on sealing meter boxes which have been opened illegally to be bridged for free electricity usage. This will be a way to ensure that the community pays for the electricity they consume and decrease the municipality’s debt to Eskom. Furthermore, he explained that the municipality is working towards installing split, tamper-proof meters.

“We hope to have our Notified Maximum Demand (NMD) increased to accommodate the increase in demand. The current NMD agreement is older than five years and the demand has exponentially increased since then. We also hope Eskom can deploy more staff to service MAP’s substations, to have a better turnaround time in case of need,” Khesa said, as he explained how the municipality would like Eskom to assist with the electricity crisis.

Residents are urged to also take responsibility by paying for electricity, as the collected revenue can contribute towards improving the system and infrastructure.

Enraged Qwaqwa residents continue to protest over service delivery issues.

Read more: Qwaqwa residents escalate service delivery protests

OFM News