Woman power! These Eskom ladies helped save Sibanye miners

By Staff Writer - 02 February 2018 - 09:17

Eskom's Operations Manager Nosipho Mpanza.
Image: TWITTER/KhuluPhasiwe

Eskom's Recovery Manager Bondosi Mapeka.
Image: TWITTER/KhuluPhasiwe

Eskom has praised its female team leaders for co-ordinating the restoration of electricity supply so that trapped miners could be rescued overnight.

The power supply was fully restored at 01h40 on Friday.

"We salute technicians from the Eskom Free State Operating Unit who worked around the clock to restore power supply under very tough conditions. We wish all the rescued miners well‚" said Eskom spokesman Khulu Phasiwe.

General Manager of the Free State Operating Lindi Mthombeni.
Image: TWITTER/KhuluPhasiwe

A power outage at Sibanye-Stillwater’s Beatrix mine in the Free State left 950 workers trapped underground. The miners were all rescued on Friday morning.

Eskom said a severe storm caused the collapse of a structure on the 132kV line supplying mines in the Welkom area.

An Eskom recovery team was tasked with restoring power supply in the Welkom/Theunissen mines.

Phasiwe praised the team leaders by name - and it was a ladies brigade: Operations Manager Nozipho Mpanza and Bondozi Mapeka as Recovery Manager.

He added that the Free State Operating Unit is led "by another strong leader‚ Ms Lindi Mthombeni. Malibongwe!"

Ms Nosipho Mpanza (in white shirt), and Ms Bondosi Mapeka (in 'Eskom-blue' shirt) led the Eskom recovery team that was tasked with restoring power supply in the Welkom/Theunissen mines. pic.twitter.com/7N5yjEquYo
— Khulu Phasiwe (@KhuluPhasiwe) February 2, 2018