The Heidelberg Airfield again fell victim to cable theft on July 5.
The theft took place during a four-hour load-shedding interruption.
Before the latest cable theft incident, Heidelberg Airfield was without power for a prolonged period due to a previous cable theft incident.
At that stage, it took the Lesedi Local Municipality (LLM) around 10 weeks to repair the cable and lay new cables.
Various businesses situated at the airfield are running at a loss due to cable theft.
At times businesses need to put their hands deep into their own pockets to keep their businesses afloat.
This electrical issue was repaired at the end of May and now the airfield has been targeted again.
Other than the airfield there are various other areas in Lesedi being targeted and vandalised.
Eskom confirmed in a media briefing that the high number of vandalism and damages to mini substations and transformers in Gauteng can lead to equipment shortages that will hamper the economy badly.
The number of incidents of vandalism and theft is putting more pressure on the electricity utility in its ability to supply electricity to the affected areas around Gauteng.
Part of the problem is network overloading through illegal connections, tampering with meters, vandalism, theft, and non-payment of electrical services.
There is a request for the community to assist in the problem by reporting tampering, suspected tampering or suspicious activity via WhatsApp on 071 675 7293 or 072 197 4154 (messages only, no calls). Photos are welcome.
