Pictured: A team of engineers and electricians worked around the clock to fix a damaged 66kV oil-filled cable along Elgin Road in Kempton Park which has led to consumers being without supply for three days.

Residents of Van Riebeeck Park, Terenure, Birch Acres, Kempton Park West and Edleen can breathe a sigh of relief after the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality (EMM) restored power last night.

The areas had been without electricity since midday on Sunday when a contractor installing storm water pipes accidentally damaged a 66kV oil-filled cable. Technicians were involved in a gruelling exercise of repairing the cable since then, and they managed to begin switching on power around 19h00 last night. By 20h00 the electricity supply had been completely restored to all affected areas.

“The repair of an oil-filled cable takes at least 48 hours and I would like to congratulate the team for their hard work and managing to achieve the tight deadline,” says Mark Wilson, head of the Energy Department at the EMM.

Individual customers who for one reason or another are still off are advised to report the matter to the Metro’s municipal services call centre on 086 054 3000. The municipality continues to monitor the situation and a team of electricians is on standby to calls.

“Furthermore, we would like to thank our customers for their patience throughout the process, and the support of the media in communicating the message,” says Metro spokesperson Sam Modiba.