Durban - Power utility Eskom says it is experiencing a significant increase in transformer failures in residential areas due to meter tampering, illegal connections and vandalism of its infrastructure.
Expanding on the issue in a statement on Tuesday, Eskom said a faulty transformer has led to the loss of electricity supply to a community in ward 3, in Impendle Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal.
It said the transformer, which failed on November 3, was assessed by the technical team and found to have failed due to an overload caused by a high number of bypassed prepaid meters.
“The transformer in Mecsem has 153 connected Eskom customers and only 17 of these customers are paying for electricity, while 137 of them are not paying for electricity that they are using,” it said.
Eskom said it has deployed an audit team that is currently auditing all meters connected to the transformer.
It added that infrastructure has been installed to cater for supply requirements of Eskom’s customers.
“Due to the increasing number of the transformer failures, replacement thereof without addressing the root cause has become unsustainable, costly, and unsafe for its technicians and members of the public, more specifically innocent children,” it said.
In addition, it urged residents to stay clear of any damaged infrastructure and to report faults and unsafe conditions via the various platforms available.
“Electricity users are urged to treat all electrical lines, sockets, and appliances as live and dangerous,” it said.