Criminals targeted two substations in Rayton and Cullinan in two days, leaving residents without electricity.
About 20 vandals waited until load-shedding and then stripped the substation at Pienaarspoort early on September 18.
They vandalised the substation and stole about nine medium-voltage cables. The substation then caught fire.
Based on the preliminary assessment of the City of Tswhane’s electrical teams, they needed nine 11kV switchgear panels and associated equipment, two drums of 240mm cable, two drums of 150mm cable and two drums of 70mm cable to repair the damage and restore the electricity.
This attack on the infrastructure affected Savannah Estate, Greencreek, The Blyde, Nelmapius Ext 3,6,7,8 and 22, and Pienaarspoort.
Vandals struck again on September 19 at the Zonderwater substation in Cullinan, leaving residents in the dark.
The affected areas included Cullinan town, Cullinan Court, Zonderwater Prison and Lewzene. The thieves took cables, along with high-performance batteries.
Kabelo Marakalala from Eskom said his team had to stop their repair work in Hamanskraal to sort out the power problem in Cullinan.
“The technicians switched off the power supply to reconnect the stolen cables.”
Marakalala explained to Ward 100 Clr Johannes Bekker what the thieves did with the stolen cables.
“They melt the cables and make big pots that they then use to cook food,” said Marakalala.
The City of Tshwane stated its concern about the heinous acts of vandalism to infrastructure aimed at collapsing the services to residents.
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