By EDN Reporter
Parts of the Kingdom of Eswatini woke up to damaged buildings, power outages and fallen trees on roads following an evening of a severe storm.
As thousands prepared to go to the polls in the Kingdom, many were met by fallen trees on the roads and others had to start by repairing damages to their homes as a result of the storm.
ALSO READ: Thousands without power following storm
People also took to social media to showcase the damages they were dealing with.
Lentsambo that goes from the pole to the house ya gesi ijubekile.
— Plant Papi (@Bayanda001) August 26, 2023
I’m screwed screwed pic.twitter.com/L7AuVJw3J1
Roads are filled with tree branches and leaves, while others have big trees across them. The storm started on Friday night just after 10 pm with gusty winds that shook trees, uprooted others and brought down billboards in some parts.
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Lights started going off in some areas and remained off in the morning as the Eswatini Electricity Company (EEC) worked frantically to restore power to ensure the election process continued with minimal glitches.
Regardless of the windstorm havoc, you are encouraged to still head out to cast your vote.#ngete_ngasala_nasakha_live_letfu #primary_elections_2023 pic.twitter.com/XIKXgMi6Bp
— EswatiniTV (@Eswatini_TV) August 26, 2023
The EEC issued a public notice informing the public about the power outages. It said the most affected areas were:
– Pine Valley
– Nkoyoyo
– Ngwenya
– Siphocosini
– Ezulwini
– Lobamba
– Thompson
– Malkerns
– Manyakane
– Usuthu
– Matsapha
– Hlatikhulu,
– Lawuba
– Sithobela
– St. Philips
– Pigg’s Peak
– Mayiwane
– Sihhoye
– Balegane
– Mnkinkomo
– Mpisi
– Siphofaneni
– Nhlangano
– Manzini North
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“In the meantime, we plead with all the affected customers to be patient as some of the areas are inaccessible due to debris. Most importantly, we urge them to exercise safety precautions by avoiding coming into contact with any fallen powerlines. All powerlines should be treated as live,” the EEC said in the notice.
The damage also caused damage to water infrastructure. The Eswatini Water Services Corporation also issued a public notice indicating that it had suffered damage that was affecting the supply of water to certain areas.
Kute livati kute gesi weee sisekakeni baby https://t.co/7hRmHbxBJj
— Blëssed ????️lůmber (@SalebonaDlamini) August 26, 2023
