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Ekurhuleni: Attempted cable theft leaves some residents in the dark

Eskom says some of its Bedfordview customers will have to do without electricity for up to five days, due to damages caused by cable theft

load shedding schedules

Image via Adobe Stock

An attempted cable theft incident has affected supply to the Bedfordview substation which supplies the City of Ekurhuleni’s Bedfordview customers, Eskom has said.

The embattled power utility says it has been hard at work attending to the incident and trying locate the point where the cable theft occured. It says it has been assessing the extent of the damages caused and preparing for repairs.

“Due to the extent of the damages caused by the attempted cable theft and vandalism of the electricity infrastructure it is estimated that supply could be restored within four to five days. The incident has been reported to the South African Police Service for investigation,” says Eskom Gauteng spokesperson Amanda Qithi.

Eskom apologises to Bedfordview residents

Eskom says it recently reported a spike in cable theft incidents around Gauteng and has intensified efforts to address the ongoing theft and vandalism of its
electricity infrastructure.

“Partnering with communities and law enforcement agencies has shown results in the efforts being made, as perpetrators conducting electricity-related criminal acts were arrested recently. Members of the public are encouraged to report those conducting illegal electricity-related activities to the law enforcement agencies, CoE and Eskom”

Eskom Gauteng spokesperson Amanda Qithi

The parastatal has further apologised to Bedfordview residents for the inconvenience and says it continues on work to restore supply to the substation.

All this comes as Eskom has been on the receiving end of criticism, mainly due to its failure to keep the lights on since the first week of October. Cable theft is yet another problem the entity has to fight against, as it is one of the main contributors to electricity supply being shut off.