Residents without power asked to be patient

Tshwane mayor Cilliers Brink has called on residents to be patient as the city works to restore power to several areas following the storms at the weekend.

On Sunday, the SA Weather Service upgraded the level 2 warning for severe thunderstorms to a level 4.

“This weekend, we had very severe storms, including hailstorms, that have hit our service infrastructure quite badly – trees falling down, interfering with overhead lines that now have to be repaired,” Brink said yesterday.

“We’ve sent out a notice to say, due to the bad weather and its effects, the response times are going to be delayed. We’re on the ground to inspect the damage and to ensure the work gets done.

“We’re asking for patience as there are certain things that we can’t control, including the severity of the weather. We’re doing all we can to restore the power.

“We’re aware of it and attending to it. We plead with our customers to exercise patience while we strive to reduce the backlog.”

Meanwhile, the department of human settlements yesterday dispatched its emergency housing team to assess the damage caused by storms that hit several houses in Nongoma, KwaZulu-Natal, on Saturday. It also said several houses in Ekubuseni, Gomodo

and Holinyoka villages in the province were damaged by the storms, leaving four families homeless.

“I have directed officials to ensure that affected households are assisted as a matter of urgency.

“We have roped in one of our agencies, the NHBRC [National Home Builders Registration Council], to help the team assess the integrity of all structures,” said Human Settlements Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi.