More than 500 MTN sites down following deadly SA storm

Following the deadliest storm on record in South Africa, telecoms giant MTN confirmed that widespread infrastructure damage and power outages in KwaZulu-Natal resulted in over 500 of its sites going down in the province.

MTN South Africa said it has activated contingency plans for site restoration following severe flood damage. However, by Sunday morning access to many of the impacted sites remained a major challenge.

“The flooding in KwaZulu-Natal has caused power outages at many of our sites and while we have battery back-up at many of the sites, these batteries have been depleted,” said Jacqui O’Sullivan, MTN SA’s executive for corporate affairs.

“Our major challenge right now is gaining access to the sites with many roads being damaged or flooded, preventing us from refuelling our batteries or restoring power to the site.”

Restoring MTN connectivity

The major areas impacted at this stage include Durban South, South Coast, Umlazi, Malagazi, Amanzimtoti, Ballito, Salt Rock amongst other areas.

“MTN wishes to assure impacted customers that our technicians are working around the clock to restore connectivity in their area,” the company said in a statement.

“We know those affected need to be able to contact their families and friends. Access to connectivity is our priority and we are deploying all possible resources to assist,” concludes O’Sullivan.

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