Eskom in KwaZulu-Natal said it was aware of the widespread outages in areas including Newcastle, Dundee, Estcourt, Ladysmith, Pietermaritzburg, and Margate caused by heavy rains and snowfall .
The extreme weather conditions have resulted in fallen trees, compromised power lines, and blocked roads and left motorists trapped in freezing snow since Friday.
The power utility said due to the large number of faults, customers may experience delays in restoration, but all faults will be attended to as soon as possible.
Technicians are on standby to attend to the faults once there is access. Access is hampered due to road closures. Eskom appeals for patience from our customers as restoration may take longer than usual, said Eskom spokesperson, Joyce Zingoni.
Zingoni said the public was advised to steer clear of damaged electrical infrastructure, avoid touching electrical appliances with wet hands, and not attempt to remove fallen trees near power lines.
