Suspected thief gets the shock of his life in eMbalenhle

A man was electrocuted today (September 16) after he allegedly tried to steal from the Eskom substation in Ext 5, eMbalenhle.

According to the Govan Mbeki Municipality, the suspect is currently still alive after being electrocuted while attempting to steal and vandalise critical electrical infrastructure at the substation.

Donald Green, acting head of communications said the police were called to the scene and a case of malicious damage to essential electrical infrastructure was opened.

Green said the alleged thief is suspected to be the cause of a week-long power failure and forced load reduction in eMbalenhle last week. Many residents were without power or had to endure long power outages last week because Eskom was only able to supply 50% of the load due to damages to its infrastructure.

“We believe Eskom will swiftly assist in adding more charges to the suspect and trusting the police processes, more arrests may be possible only if the found suspect survives the electrocution he experienced,” said Green .

Green, on behalf of the municipality, warned the community that tampering with electricity infrastructure is not only illegal, but can also lead to loss of life and deadly consequences.

“In the past few weeks, the municipality has opened several cases of either theft or vandalism and arrests of individuals have been made due to the integrated approach and collaboration between various stakeholders and community members,” said Green.

Constable Busi Mthethwa, the eMbalenhle police spokesperson promised to respond later once she has gathered all the information.