Theft leads to Morningside power cuts
Power cuts plagued Morningsiode after the substation on the corner of Smiso Nkwanyana Road (Goble Road) and Umgeni Road was vandalised.
THE eThekwini Municipality blames vandalism and theft of electricity infrastructure for the lengthy power outage in Morningside last week.
According to the City spokesperson, Lindiwe Khuzwayo, the substation on the corner of Smiso Nkwanyana Road (Goble Road) and Umgeni Road was vandalised on February 2.
“This led to power outages in the area as cables were damaged in the process. The substation’s batteries were stolen and the battery charger unit was damaged. Cables had to be repaired to ensure restoration of power for the affected areas. The vandalism of this substation did not only lead to further faults in the affected areas but it also inconvenienced residents who had to stay in the dark much longer than their scheduled load shedding times,” said Khuzwayo.
Also read: Mayor visits City’s multi-million rand projects
Ward 27 councillor, Ernest Smith said an underground cable blew after the substation was broken into. This caused a knock-on effect leaving residents across the area in the dark. Smith said power supply was disrupted on Currie, Milner and Lilian Ngoyi Roads.
“There were several faults in the area. When Goble substation faulted, it surged up the road (on the corner of Smiso Nkwanyana and Percy Osbourne Road). This wouldn’t have occurred if the substation hadn’t faulted.
“In the system there’s a switching mechanism which operates on a battery, which is charged. If you take the batteries away, the systems don’t have power to regulate the system. Goble Road substation is a distribution substation. If it’s overloaded beyond what its capable of, it will trip,” explained Smith.
Also read: Durban residents in the dark as they struggle to buy electricity
Smith inspected substations on Smiso Nkwanyana Road and Percy Osbourne Road on Tuesday, February 8. He called for greater security measures to be put in place after discovering a hole in the fence around the Goble Road substation.
Report theft
Khuzwayo urged residents to report suspicion of cable theft and the vandalism of City infrastructure.
Call the electricity call centre on 080 1313 111, sms 083 700 0819, email custocare@elec.durban.gov.za or call the South African Police Service on 1011.
* Notice: Coronavirus reporting at Caxton Local Media aims to combat fake news
