A Buccleuch resident has been left angered by Eskom’s lack of safety and upkeep at the sub-station.
Dennis Williams, who lives on Gibson Drive across the road from the sub-station, said that it is very concerning that the gates are left open to a sub-station that feeds the whole suburb with electricity. “About 10 years ago, there were problems at the sub-station and they cleaned the whole area, put in a pavement and put up the gates.”
However, Williams said that for the past two years it has fallen into a state of disrepair. “The gates are left unlocked and the grass and trees have not been cleared for some time now.”
He said he has not seen anyone from Eskom enter the property recently. “It’s a critical thing to keep it safe and locked because of the sub-station.”
According to Williams, the main problem is that it looks like its falling apart. “Next they will tell us there is no electricity, but they don’t maintain the area.”
Spokesperson for Eskom, Nkosana Sibuyi said that Eskom is responsible for the upkeep and safety of the substation. He said the gates are always locked but broken chains and locks are a challenge. “It is suspected that this could be due to criminal activities and these are always replaced whenever it is discovered that they are missing,” said Sibuyi.
Sibuyi continued that they are looking at other options to keep the gates locked. “The last time we had been on site was on 3 September and the gate was left locked. On 12 September the gate was once again left locked.”
He added that no danger can befall any person that enters the premises as the substation itself is always locked.
“Eskom is doing all it can to keep the place inaccessible to the public and uses various means to monitor the sub-station such as CCTV cameras.”
Regarding the upkeep, Sibuyi said they have been ensuring that it is done until the equipment to do so broke. “This has since been addressed with new equipment being secured and the substation will be cleaned this week.
“Eskom visits the sub-station monthly and when the need arises.”
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