Times Of Swaziland: HAILSTORM LEAVES 4 000 POWER OUTAGES

HAILSTORM LEAVES 4 000 POWER OUTAGES
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Mfanukhona Nkambule on 20/11/2022 16:56:00


MBABANE – A ferocious hailstorm that particularly battered Pigg’s Peak,
Mbabane and Manzini on Friday left 4 000 power outages.
Bongani Khaya Mavuso, the Marketing and Corporate Communications Manager at
Eswatini Electricity Company (EEC), said they were attending to all the 4 000
reported power outages. The government issued a public notice on the power
outages yesterday. He assured EEC customers that they would be assisted. Mavuso
mentioned that some of the company’s power lines, cables, metres, PG clamps
and circuit breakers were damaged.
“Our company is doing everything possible to have the electricity restored
within reasonable time,” said Mavuso. In the meantime, he pleaded with all
affected customers to be patient as some of the areas were inaccessible because
of the wet conditions. Most importantly, he urged them to exercise safety
precautions by avoiding coming into contact with any fallen power lines. All
power outages, he advised, must be reported to 800 9000 (toll free) or 2508 3333
(standard rates apply). They can also do so via the EEC self service platform
*8888#.
Report the outages
EEC customers are also advised to report the outages to callcentre@eec.co.sz or
Facebook inbox: Eswatini Electricity Company. A week ago, the storm terribly hit
the Shiselweni Region where 745 people were affected. By this time last year,
the hailstorm battered homes, leaving schools and businesses roofless. It is
said that if there is a lot of moisture in the air and the wind holding it up is
very strong, a hailstone will grow bigger. Experts say climate change makes
these conditions more likely, as warmer air contains more water vapour. Powerful
storms - with powerful up draughts - also become more likely as weather patterns
change.