Eskom restored electricity to Central Karoo towns that had been left with power for almost two weeks after a storm damaged infrastructure.

Residents of Ladismith in the Western Cape breathed a sigh of relief after their electricity was restored on Thursday. Ladismith was one of several towns in the Northern Cape and Western Cape left without electricity for almost two weeks after gale-force winds and heavy rain damaged Eskom's Laingsburg/Touwsrivier 132kV power lines on Saturday, 3 February.

The affected towns were Sutherland, Fraserberg and Roggeveld in the Northern Cape and Laingsburg, Ladismith, Leeu-Gamka, Swartberg, Merweville, Matjiesfontein and Prince Albert in Western Cape.

Daily Maverick visited Ladismith as Eskom workers prepared to switch the electricity back on after repairing the broken infrastructure.

At 8am, someone shouted, "Die kantien se krag is aan, maar die kos winkel is nog af [The bottle store's electricity is on, but the food shop's is still off]" as power returned to business and residential premises.

Shopkeeper Feroj Hossain said: "It's nice [having power again] because without electricity life is too complicated."

He had to throw away stock worth R2,000 -- including frozen fish and vegetables -- after it began rotting.

In another part of Ladismith, Nissenville, sat Doreen Freeman. She did not realise the power was back on until Daily Maverick told her it had been restored.

She...