Severe storms and high winds wreaked havoc on South Africa’s electricity supply over the weekend, resulting in power disruptions on Eskom’s network in several provinces.

In a statement on Sunday, 28 December 2025, the power utility said that ongoing adverse weather conditions had led to a sharp increase in faults reported across its network.

“While major disruptions in the Eastern Cape have largely been addressed, the KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo and Free State provinces remain severely affected,” the power utility said.

Eskom said its teams were working around the clock to restore supply safely and as quickly as possible, but cautioned that the weather conditions were placing significant strain on response times.

This was particularly relevant in areas where access was restricted due to flooding, damaged infrastructure or unsafe terrain.

“Eskom teams are on the ground repairing damaged infrastructure to restore supply in affected communities, including Tzaneen and Mashashane in Limpopo,” the utility said.

Eskom said it sincerely appreciated the patience and understanding of customers during this holiday period.

It also reminded people to always treat electrical networks as live, even when the supply appears to be off.

“Fallen pylons and electrical lines can be extremely dangerous — even a single touch or going too close can be fatal,” Eskom said. “If you spot any damaged or fallen electricity infrastructure, don’t go near it.”

Eskom said storms that swept through the Amajuba region in KwaZulu-Natal led to damages to its network and power outages in several areas.

“Whilst power has been restored to most areas, teams are working at restoring power to Utrecht, Izimbuthu, Emxhakeni, Watervaal, and eMadlangeni,” the utility said.

In Limpopo, areas impacted by heavy thunderstorms included Nkowankowa, Lenyene, Dan, Muhlava, and their surrounds.

The X post below from Eskom includes images of some of the damage caused to the electricity infrastructure due to the weekend’s adverse weather conditions.

Source: https://mybroadband.co.za/news/energy/623783-electricity-havoc-in-south-africa.html