More darkness as cable theft compounds load-shedding

Vryheid is left in the dark on most days, due to load-shedding. But what makes matters even worse is that cable theft is on the rise as well, leading to more hours of darkness at the hands of opportunistic criminals. The Council for Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) has published its annual statistics on power generation in South Africa for 2021, also providing a breakdown of load-shedding over this period. This data indicates that 2021 overtook 2020 as the most intensive load-shedding year yet – a 40% increase compared to 2020. The number of load-shedding hours jumped from 859 in 2020 to 1169 in 2021. CSIR data shows that the majority of load-shedding in 2021 was concentrated in October and November. However, more concerning than the country’s load-shedding statistics is Eskom’s declining Energy Availability Factor (EAF). This is the percentage of maximum energy generation the utility is capable of supplying to the electrical grid; limited only by planned and unplanned outages.

And 2022 looks set to break load-shedding records, even though load-shedding was only announced at the end of May.
In the worst case scenario presented by Eskom, South Africa could experience 295 days of load-shedding over the period of April 1, 2022, to March 31, 2023. In a media statement on July 7, Eskom said, “Since the last communication, seven-generation units have been returned to service. During the same period, six generating units that needed urgent repairs during the strike have been taken offline for repairs. This is made possible by the full return to work of all striking employees over the past two days. In addition, 600MW of capacity from the Hydroelectrica de Cahora Bassa (HCB) in Mozambique was returned to service, boosting available generation capacity. Over the next few days, nine generation units are anticipated to return to service, which will further improve generation capacity,” the power company said. This will, however, still require Eskom to continue implementing load-shedding for the foreseeable future until the situation has been normalised. Emergency generation reserves, which have been extensively utilised to limit the stage of load-shedding over the past two weeks, have been adequately replenished and will continue to be used to limit the stage of load shedding.

Not only does this leave the entire South Africa on its knees, but a contributing factor when the lights go out is cable theft. Last week Wednesday, Vryheid was left without power for six hours after cables were stolen at Trim Park Sub-station. A few days later, cables were stolen at Franca Marina flats. These were additional hours of darkness, apart from the scheduled load-shedding. The Vryheid Herald enquired about security measures at sub-stations on a previous occasion and the municipality responded that they were increasing security to prevent thieves from stealing cables. This seems not to have happened, since key points are left ‘unguarded’ during load-shedding. Police station commander Colonel Potgieter states that the SAPS do patrols during load-shedding, which includes key points in town. They have also compiled a special task team to assist with the rising crime in Vryheid, but he urges the community to also assist police by reporting crime. “I am urging the community and all platforms to be our ears and eyes when they suspect any irregularities,” Colonel Potgieter said.

The Vryheid Herald has once again posed questions regarding security at sub-stations.
Please note: “Eskom would like to remind the public that load-shedding is implemented only as a last resort to protect the national grid. We, therefore, urge all South Africans to continue using electricity sparingly, especially during these uncertain times on the power system.”

AbaQulusi Local Municipality responds to cable theft:

The entire country is affected by load-shedding and it is something that is beyond the municipality’s
control. We understand that AbaQulusi residents are not satisfied with load-shedding, as this is the first
time they have experience load-shedding in five years.

However, at the beginning of the year, the municipality did indicate that in 2022, AbaQulusi did not
qualify for exclusion. For the past five years, we have had an arrangement with Eskom that our town be
excluded from load-shedding, given that Eskom receives its required MVA.
We had installed geyser relays in households that were assisting us in controlling the load. We were
also using these for street lights; hence we were excluded from load-shedding. Some residents
have, however, disconnected these geyser relays, which has an effect on us not being able to meet the
minimum load that Eskom requires from us in order to avoid load-shedding.

The eMondlo, Hlobane and Coronation areas are also under us. However, due to the fact that the
geyser relay system had not been implemented in these areas, Eskom continued carrying out
load-shedding there.

However, the Bhekuzulu, Lakeside and Sasko areas were not experiencing load-shedding because their main
substations are in town. Therefore, the geyser relay system that was implemented in town covered
these areas as well on the MVA required by Eskom.
It has been a very effective system that we have been using. Unfortunately, last year, when we applied
again for this year, we were informed that we did not meet the requirements to continue with this
system.

The effects of load-shedding have put even more strain on water supply, as all our reservoirs and water
treatment plants operate with power. When the power is off, water supply is interrupted. Also, when the
power comes back on, it sometimes damages some of the electrical infrastructure, which takes a
minimum of four hours to repair. However, it takes longer in some instances, which may be due
to not having the required material in stores and needs to be ordered, which may take up to a minimum of 48
hours to repair.

Unfortunately, with load-shedding came the opportunity for criminals to steal power cables at a higher
rate than before. We plead with the community to assist the municipality by reporting those involved in
this apparent syndicate, as it affects all of us.

We do have security officers in place at all our key points, but the criminals somehow find a way to
break into our facilities and steal power cables. After realising we have intensified the security
personnel at key point areas, they are now targeting residential areas closer to the power
substations. Hence our plea to everyone to report these criminals either to the municipality or the SAPS.

ALSO READ: ‘Cable theft is economic sabotage’

The news provided to you in this link comes to you from the editorial staff of the Vryheid Herald, a sold newspaper distributed in the Vryheid area.

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