Komani hit by repeated power outages over Easter weekend

Komani, Eastern Cape – Several areas across Komani were left without electricity at different times over the Easter weekend, as multiple faults and planned operations affected key substations in the town.

The outages, confirmed by the Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality, impacted both residential neighbourhoods and important facilities, including parts of the central business district and healthcare services.

Alexander substation shutdown affects key areas

One of the disruptions occurred when the Alexander substation was switched off to allow for the connection of a new alternative power line between the Alexander and Town Hall substations.

According to the municipality, the operation was expected to take approximately three hours.

Areas affected by this shutdown included:

• Westbourne
• Frontier Hospital
• Bergsig
• Portions of the CBD
• Parts of Top Town
• Nonesi Mall
• Bhede

The municipality apologised for the short notice issued to residents.

Western substation faults cause repeated interruptions

Separately, a fault at the Western substation caused further widespread outages across Komani.

The municipality initially reported that the cause of the fault was unknown, with technical teams dispatched to investigate.

Affected areas included:

• CBD
• Madeira Park
• Kings Park
• Horizon View
• Westbourne
• Nonesi Mall
• Bhede
• Bergsig
• Frontier Hospital
• Portions of Top Town
• Game Reserve

Power supply was briefly restored at one stage, but the system tripped again, suggesting a possible fault within the substation itself.

Specialist brought in as outages persist

As the issue continued, the municipality confirmed that a protection specialist had been appointed to assist in identifying the root cause of the fault.

While testing was being conducted, residents were warned that electricity supply could be temporarily switched off again.

Later updates indicated that power had been restored in all previously affected areas, although investigations into the cause of the outage were ongoing.

Impact on residents and services

The outages occurred during the busy Easter weekend period, when many households and businesses rely on stable electricity supply.

The inclusion of Frontier Hospital among affected areas raised concerns about the potential impact on essential services, although no specific incidents were reported by the municipality.

Repeated switching on and off of power also created uncertainty for businesses operating over the long weekend, particularly in commercial areas like the CBD and Nonesi Mall.

Ongoing monitoring expected

The municipality has not yet confirmed the exact cause of the Western substation fault, but further updates are expected once testing and investigations are completed.

Residents are advised to remain alert for official updates, as additional interruptions may occur while technical work continues.