Komani hit by power outage after cable fault on Prince Alfred Street

Residents and businesses in central Komani were left without electricity on Thursday after a major cable fault affected the supply route from Prince Alfred Street to the Library Substation. The Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality (EMLM) confirmed that several central areas are experiencing outages as technical teams work to trace and repair the fault.

The interruption began earlier in the day, impacting households, shops and offices across some of the town’s busiest streets. According to EMLM, the areas currently affected include Prince Alfred, Griffith Street, Ebden Street, Grey Street, and Queens Drive.

The outage has caused disruptions to daily operations, particularly for small businesses reliant on refrigeration, electronic payment systems and other essential services. Many residents also reported difficulty with routine activities, highlighting the ongoing vulnerability of Komani’s electricity infrastructure.

Technical Teams Working On-Site

EMLM confirmed that its technical maintenance team is currently working at the site of the fault. At this stage, the municipality has not released an estimated time for power restoration, but indicated that the team is prioritising the repair due to the number of high-density areas affected.

Cable faults in older parts of Komani are not uncommon, especially where infrastructure has aged or been exposed to extended periods of strain. The affected line connects directly to the Library Substation, a critical node in the town’s power distribution grid.

Municipal officials said the focus remains on identifying the precise point of failure and replacing or repairing the damaged section of cable as soon as possible. These processes can sometimes take several hours depending on accessibility of the fault area, ground conditions, and the complexity of the repair.

Municipality Urges Patience as Repairs Continue

EMLM has appealed to residents and businesses to allow the technical teams space to work safely and efficiently. The municipality says updates will be issued once progress is made or when supply begins to be restored block by block.

Power restoration frequently requires systematic testing after repairs to ensure safe reconnection. This means some areas may come back online sooner than others, depending on the stability of the repaired cable and the distribution load.

Residents Advised to Switch Off Appliances

While waiting for power to return, residents are advised to switch off sensitive electrical appliances such as televisions, fridges, and computers to avoid a surge when electricity is restored. This is especially important during fault-related outages where voltage can fluctuate briefly during reconnection.

What Happens Next

Komani News will continue monitoring the situation and will update residents as soon as the municipality provides further details on the repair or restoration timeline.

Residents experiencing urgent electrical hazards such as exposed wiring or sparking infrastructure are encouraged to report these to the municipal electricity department immediately.