Eskom has started work to restore power and repair damage after seven pylons collapsed in the City of Tshwane on Sunday night.

Vandalism has been linked to at least three of the seven damaged pylons, which collapsed along the N4 freeway. It led to a massive power outage, with over 40 suburbs still without power on Tuesday night, News24 reported. The outage also led to the car manufacturer Ford closing its plant. This is an output loss of 720 vehicles a day.

Eskom is assisting the City and has provided three monopoles which are already on site, said Daphne Mokwena, the utility's interim spokesperson.

The monopoles differ from the pylons in that the base is solid concrete, with the bottom being thicker than the top, said Mokwena. The foundation on which they are mounted is also made of concrete.

With pylons, the tower members (near the bottom) are targeted by thieves. When these are stolen, then it is easier for pylons to collapse when there is wind, Mokwena explained.

The monopoles being provided by Eskom are locally manufactured. They are 23 meters tall, Mokwena said.

The City will provide nine other pylons, which will be 20 meters tall.

Replacing the pylons as they were, would take longer, which is also why the monopoles are being considered. The area of the new powerlines will cover 3km, as opposed to the 1km initially thought. It is not yet known how much repairing the damage would cost.

A preliminary schedule indicated that the repairs could be done by Thursday latest – but this is not yet confirmed.

"We have started work on site," Mokwena said. The pace at which work will be completed depends on the availability of resources, she added, saying:.

Our major focus now is to get the structures up and get the customers back on.

Eskom is involved with the repairs due to its competencies with high voltage structures and its resources and equipment - like trucks – needed to assist the City.