LISTEN: Recently attacked Pretoria east substation repaired
The incident on September 18 is the latest criminal act since a 29-year-old guard lost his life during duty at a Pretoria East substation.
The Heatherley substation has finally been repaired and is again fully operational.
Technicians, electricians and support staff serviced the substation vandalised on September 18 when armed men stormed it during loadshedding to steal cable and other components.
They held guards hostage at gunpoint then ransacked the substation for valuables.
Tshwane MMC for utility services and regional operations and coordination Themba Fosi said the metro restored the substation to service in the morning of September 20 two days after the vandalism and theft had disrupted power supply to parts of Pretoria East.
“Tshwane is pleased to report that power has been successfully restored to affected areas in Pretoria East following incidents of vandalism and theft at Heatherley in the early hours of Monday morning.
“Our teams have since been working around the clock to ensure that the power is restored to all the affected areas.
“We want to assure residents that all communities fed from Heatherley have now been switched back on. Parts of Nellmapius ext 8 and 12 have also been reconnected to the grid. Affected households and businesses in these areas can now resume their normal activities.”.
Fosi said the metro takes acts of theft and vandalism seriously and was actively working with law enforcement agencies to investigate the incident.
“We are committed to ensuring the safety and reliability of our electrical infrastructure.”
LISTEN:
The September 18 incident is the latest criminal act since a 29-year-old guard lost his life on duty in July.
According to the city, on September 18 during the scheduled morning loadshedding hours, 20 people stormed the substation and held the security personnel at gunpoint.
Savanah Country Estate, Greencreek, The Blydes, Pienaarspoort, Nellmapius ext. 3,6,7,8 and 22 were plunged into darkness.
Tshwane spokesperson Lindela Mashigo said the theft resulted in the loss of valuable cables, which in turn led to a raging inferno the emergency services had to be activated to extinguish it.
Mashigo said the substation was nonoperational for two days as a result of the infrastructure theft.
“At least nine medium voltage cables were stolen, and the substation vandalised. That resulted in a fire outbreak.”
This is the second reported attack in the east.
In July, a 29-year-old Tshwane security guard lost his life during a shootout between cable thieves and guards.
The guard was stationed at Njala substation, where cables were later stolen.
“We urge members of the community to report any suspicious activity to the Tshwane metro police 24-hour line on 012 358 7095/6, or cable theft hotline on 080 011 272,” said Mashigo.
Falling branch narrowly misses SPCA cats after storm
Do you have more information about the story?
Please send us an email to editorial@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.
For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites: Rekord East
For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram
