Residents in Midrand are being urged to remain vigilant while driving at night.

This follows a spike in electricity poles being damaged by vehicles across the area after concerns were raised over a leaning electricity pole on Macinnes Road in Glenferness, which residents said had been swaying dangerously in the wind and appeared close to collapsing.

Eskom spokesperson Daphne Mokwena said the pole had deteriorated over time due to ageing infrastructure and prolonged exposure to the elements. She explained that Eskom has an ongoing programme dedicated to monitoring, maintaining, and refurbishing ageing poles before they become hazardous. “

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We do have teams that are continuously responsible for monitoring infrastructure that requires refurbishment or repairs like the one reported.”

According to Mokwena, some poles may deteriorate shortly after inspections are conducted, or may not immediately appear as high-risk structures, which can make them more difficult to identify in time.

She thanked residents, Ward 94 councillor David Foley, and the media for bringing the matter to Eskom’s attention, adding that the utility’s emergency teams had since attended to and stabilised the pole.

“We appreciate residents raising these issues with us, because it helps us respond before situations become dangerous.”

Mokwena added that Eskom has specialised live-line teams capable of repairing or replacing poles while electricity remains on, minimising disruptions to surrounding communities.

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She did, however, raise concern over a growing number of electricity poles being damaged by vehicles, particularly during night-time, urging motorists to drive more cautiously to help preserve critical infrastructure.

“We are seeing an increase in poles being damaged by cars, especially at night in the Midrand area. We appeal to residents to drive carefully so that this infrastructure can last longer and continue serving communities.”

Residents had earlier expressed concern over the pole outside the padel courts on Macinnes Road, saying it had been leaning for months before it recently began swaying more severely during windy conditions.

Foley said the condition of the pole had become alarming, as the structure had effectively lost stability at its base. “It was floating as the base was completely rotten.”

He confirmed Eskom has since replaced the pole, although he noted that the utility removed two support cables that were previously anchored into the ground to help stabilise the structure.

“Interestingly, however, they cut away and removed the two support cables that were anchored in the ground and held the pole. I will be monitoring stability.”

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