By Staff Reporter
NWAMITWA – The Mayor of the Greater Tzaneen Municipality (GTM), Gerson Molapisane, has expressed heartfelt appreciation to residents of Bolobedu South and Nwamitwa for their remarkable support and voluntary manpower during the ongoing electricity restoration efforts.
Eskom, working jointly with GTM, continues to make steady progress in restoring power to the communities affected by what has now been confirmed as the largest electricity outage ever recorded in the municipality.
The crisis began when criminals vandalised critical infrastructure—cutting down multiple electricity poles and stealing cables—leaving several villages without power.
Despite restoration teams working tirelessly, their efforts were repeatedly disrupted as more poles were cut down shortly after repairs began, further prolonging the blackout and intensifying residents’ hardships.
GTM confirms that progress has been made in several areas. The Mamitwa Bokhota 22kV line has now been fully energised. Work has also commenced on the Mamitwa Xihoko and Mamitwa Moruji 22kV feeders. Bush clearing in Mamitwa Moruji has been completed, while at Mamitwa Xihoko, the drilling team is working on the sixth pole hole and pole planting is currently underway.
The municipality has extended special gratitude to community members who volunteered to assist with bush clearing and manual labour to help speed up restoration operations. Their unity and commitment have significantly supported Eskom’s technical teams.
“We sincerely appreciate the patience, resilience, and cooperation shown by our communities during this extremely difficult period,” said Mayor Molapisane. He also thanked Eskom technicians, GTM officials, and all stakeholders who remain committed to restoring full supply.
