Electricity pole spotted right in middle of road in Burgersfort
It is not known which was first, the pole or the road, but by the looks of it, the road was recently tarred.
Both Eskom and Fetakgomo Tubatse Local Municipality (FTLM) have yet to formally comment on a pole right in the middle of a tarred street behind Aloe Ridge East Complex (Ext 58).
While cycling around town, Samuel Maepa made a strange discovery on October 12. He spotted an electricity pole in the middle of this tarred road.
“I normally ride around Aloe Ridge and also at the complex that was earmarked for a mall. The area behind Aloe East has some nice tarred streets. On Wednesday, I decided to take a different route, not the usual one. I spotted the pole in the middle of the street.”
He said the area earmarked for development is seldom used by people, as it is fenced and security guards are forever present, but he wondered who in his right mind would put an electricity pole in the middle of a street.
It is not known which was first, the pole or the road, but by the looks of it, the road was recently tarred.
“I assume Eskom placed their structure first. The pole looks old, while the tarred road is still in good condition, it looks newer,” added Maepa.
An employee of the municipality, who was not authorised to speak to the media, said they were awaiting for Eskom approval and will have to move the line.
“The issue was that the consultant who designed the road did not have wayleave approval to relocate this line. Somehow everyone ignored it until now.”
An employee at the local Eskom offices stated that removing the pole would mean that power would have to be interrupted for the whole day. He said the municipality would have to pay Eskom to resolve
the issue.
Both FTLM and Eskom have yet to respond to queries posed to them regarding the emergence of the pole and the costs of removing it.
In 2019, the Lepelle Nkumpi Municipality had a similar challenge in Lebowakgomo. The municipality ended up paying more than R28 000 for the removal of a pole.
