Eskom has lost bulk supply to Centlec, the electricity distributor responsible for Jagersfontein, the national power utility said.
A statement issued by Eskom provincial spokesperson Stefanie Jansen van Rensburg says the wall of a mining dam which burst around 6am this Sunday morning led to the area being flooded by mud from the dam.
“Eskom’s Rietkuil Substation was also engulfed by the mud resulting in a total loss of bulk supply to Centlec,” she said in the statement.
In addition, four Eskom customers on the Fauresmith-Spitskop feeder, three customers on the Pompie-Rietkuil feeder and the Jagersfontein Mine are without supply.
“We aim to restore electricity supply to the mine before the end of the day (Sunday),” she promised.
The spokesperson however pointed out that it is difficult to access most parts of Jagersfontein due to the mud floods, and they might therefore struggle to restore power within reasonable time.
“Due to the current situation in the Jagersfontein area and inaccessibility of our substation, it is impossible to estimate when supply will be restored or to determine the extent of the damage.
“Since Eskom’s telecommunication system is also affected by the flood, the impact on surrounding networks is still unclear,” Van Rensburg explained.
Meanwhile, the Free State provincial government says one body has been recovered in the aftermath of the muddy flood.
Search and rescue efforts are still underway.
It said at least 35 people have been taken to Diamant Hospital in Jagersfontein, among them a pregnant woman.
Four other people are said to have suffered fractured limbs while the rest had bruises and hypothermia, which is a condition of having an abnormally low body temperature and could be life-threatening.
A further five patients were transported to Albert Nzula Hospital in Trompsburg.
The provincial department of education is currently liaising with the district officials and school heads as they try to assess the state of schools in the area.
According to the provincial government, preliminary investigations have so far indicated that no educational facilities have been affected by the disaster.
Social development district officials are evacuating people in the affected areas to nearby farms.
Humanitarian organisations such as Meals on Wheels and the South African Red Cross are on the ground assessing the situation in order to establish how many people have been affected and the nature of relief needed.
The SA Social Security Agency has also deployed officials to the area.
All affected residents are expected to receive psychosocial support. – Staff Reporter