Faulty cables and copper theft leave Tshwane residents in the dark
Areas such as Equestria, Garsfontein, Faerie Glen, Silverton, Mamelodi, Eersterust and Danville were also affected.
Stolen cables in Silverton. Photo: file.
Faulty cables were to blame for most of the electricity outages experienced in some parts of Tshwane last week, Pretoria Rekord East reports.
Tshwane metro said technicians attended to three mini-substations that were out in Mamelodi West due to cable faults on Wednesday, while another team was dealing with faulty feeder cables in Danville in the west.
READ MORE: Cable theft causes power outages in Doornpoort, PTA north
Metro spokesperson Lindela Mashigo said power failures in some areas were as a result of cable theft in Moreleta Park.
“[The] power failure that affected some areas in Tshwane followed cable theft in Moreleta Park, and technicians were hard at work to replace the electricity wire supplying power to the area.”
Areas such as Equestria, Garsfontein, Faerie Glen, Silverton, Mamelodi, Eersterust and Danville were also affected.
On Sunday evening, an electrical trip affected some areas in Soshanguve, Orchards and Rosslyn.
On the same day, a copper conductor was stolen at the Waltloo substation, causing an outage for residents of Savannah Estates and Nellmapius.
Cable theft cost the metro about R5 million every month.
This has prompted the metro to set up an anti-cable theft unit, and will offer a reward to anyone who can provide information on cable theft syndicates.
Tshwane MMC for utility services Darryl Moss said the metro cable theft unit had been relatively successful in curbing the crime by arresting both the thieves themselves and the scrap metal dealers who bought the stolen materials.
“The city is investing in new technologies to make it difficult for thieves to steal and vandalise electricity infrastructure.
“The technologies make use of mechanical and electronic devices which will drastically curb theft and vandalism,” he said.
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