RESIDENTS of Korund Avenue in Randhart are very unhappy about the open power boxes in their street.
A resident who wished to remain anonymous said it has been a problem for many years.
“It does not matter how many times we complain about this, nothing gets done,” he said.
The RECORD went to investigate on September 13 and found that the main box’s door was being kept in place with bricks.
Another open power box was spotted in Hendrik Potgieter Street, across from the clinic, in Alberton North.
“I am just concerned as people, even children, might get electrocuted or get hurt with these open power boxes,” the resident said.
Themba Gadebe, spokesperson for the City of Ekurhuleni, commented:
The issue of open electrical enclosures remains a big concern for the City. Instances of vandalism occur across the CoE where boxes are physically broken into for various reasons. The City is replacing older enclosures with protective structures that have electronic locking mechanisms, but due to the large number of existing enclosures, this is being rolled out as multi-year projects across the city.
With regard to residents locking meters, kindly note the meter-reading contractors require access to it for meter readings and the City’s energy department requires 24-hour access to all electrical enclosures, and therefore a private lock is not allowed.
The City will require the address or location of this open enclosure in order to close it again.
Once the specific box is identified, it will be secured. Other options will also be pursued to eliminate the need for access and/or to replace the structure with a protective structure.
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