Howick areas still without power six days after storms

Large areas around Howick in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands are still without electricity, six days after heavy snow and rain caused extensive disruptions in the province.

With more inclement weather expected along the Drakensberg from this Friday, the Border Management Agency has announced that the popular Sani Pass has been closed until further notice.

The provincial Cooperative Governance Department has also warned travelers that melting snow may cause local flooding in the lower reaches of the Tugela River.

Impact of snowfall on communities

Meanwhile, Eskom in KwaZulu-Natal says in a statement many of the outages have been dealt with, and that they are working around the clock to return the situation to normal.

Umngeni ward councillor Hazel Lake is concerned that small businesses around Howick cannot trade due to the power outage.

“Following the snowfall on Friday night, since then until now various areas still have no electricity and there are a number of tourists and restaurants which are unable to trade because there is no power and we have appealed to Eskom over and over again,” Lake explains, adding that “Bookings and weddings were cancelled and a lot of booking accommodations were cancelled but the problem is continuing because of the lack of power.”