Electricity thief electrocuted in Roodepoort, power disrupted

City Power is strongly advising those considering stealing electricity to refrain from tampering with electrical infrastructure. This warning comes after a man attempting to vandalise such infrastructure was electrocuted and suffered severe burns, rendering his body unrecognisable.

According to reports by City Power, it was on Tuesday morning that City Power employees arrived for duty, when they were met with the grim discovery of the body burnt beyond recognition within the station premises.

“It’s still unclear what he tampered with that triggered the electric shock. From preliminary information, it appears as though he broke one of the steel doors and forced entry. The station was severely vandalised and it could require a new switchgear and or Ring Main Units (RMU),” Isaac Mangena, the spokesperson for City Power said.

ALSO READ: Dangerous pipe burst under streetlight affected residents’ water and electricity supply

The entity confirmed that the substation has since been isolated to allow authorities to carry out their investigations.

Power outages

Mangena also confirmed to the media that as a result of the incident, there would be a disruption in the supply of power to its customers in parts of Florida, Hamberg and surrounding areas

“The police and inspectors are on site conducting their investigation into the incident. Operators can only start working towards restoring power supply after the law enforcement agencies conclude their investigation and clear the crime scene,” he said.

Mangena said the City Power team will first assess the extent of the damage then determine the next course of action in restoring supply to affected areas.

ALSO READ: Cable thieves target electricity boxes

“As such, City Power is not in a position to estimate the time of restoration,” he said.

Blatant disregard

Mangena said while the power supplier sympathised with the family of the deceased, they were concerned over the blatant disregard he had for the electricity infrastructure.

“We are disturbed by the brazen show of disregard for our electricity infrastructure. Breaking into a live substation and attempting to tamper with the facility just goes to show the extent that people are willing to go to in order to steal and vandalise our infrastructure for personal gain,” he lamented.

In December last year, a man believed to be in his 30s was found dead on Gwayi Street, in Crossroad, Western Cape, after he was electrocuted while trying to steal cables.