VIDEO: Power outages likely due to sabotage of pylons in Reiger Park
Further vandalism hampered efforts to restore power.
Several Boksburg communities have had no power for more than five days following what is suspected to have been deliberate sabotage to Eskom’s electricity pylons and overhead cables in wards 32 and 34.
While Eskom and the CoE have not yet responded to our request for details, the information received indicates that several pylons near St Anthony’s Street in Reger Park were vandalised on Thursday evening, leaving the area without power.
Videos and photos show damaged pylons and loose low-hanging overhead cables, but nothing was reportedly stolen.
The areas affected by the blackout so far include Reiger Park, Ramaphosa and surrounding townships.
Before that, a pylon was found pulled down on Jubilee Street in Boksburg South on Wednesday night, resulting in the low-hanging electrical cable.
However, the destruction did not cause outages in the ward, according to concerned Ward 32 Clr Marius de Vos.
De Vos said he reported the matter to Eskom and the municipality, and thereafter, Eskom sent its team to assess the situation and carry out repairs.
“The damaged Boksburg South power lines, which supply power to the Les Smith Substation near Unilever, have since been fixed,” said De Vos.
Repairing the damaged pylons and power line in Reiger Park got underway, but the technicians’ efforts reportedly suffered a setback when vandals struck again on Sunday night. Power was eventually restored just before midnight today.
Sabotage
Residents, including community leaders, suspect the downed pylons and power lines were caused by something much more sinister.
Public sentiment on this issue is that there likely are people going out at night and deliberately damaging the power utility’s infrastructure.
De Vos shared this sentiment, saying he suspects the destruction was the work of a well-resourced criminal cartel targeting Eskom.
Hence, he had tried to arrange a meeting with the key stakeholders, including the metro and Eskom, to discuss a way forward.
DeVos pointed out that some important items on the proposed agenda are evaluating the extent of the damage and potential sabotage, and developing a comprehensive plan to address the issue and preventative measures.
The ward councillor is also worried about the lack of will to thoroughly investigate incidents of this nature.
“We have seen many similar incidents, where traffic signal poles are repeatedly cut down on local roads, causing the city to lose millions.”
This story will be updated once more information is available.
GALLERY: