Cable theft wrecking plans and budgets

Elephants Hill 1 is one of the first and oldest mining residential areas. Only rubble is left after all the park homes were removed about two years ago. The area has been fenced off, with notices on gates and fences warning against trespassing. However, this is not enough to keep the opportunistic thieves out in their search for copper wires.

Last week Saturday, transformers had been turned off, and one of these boxes was stripped completely. Although fenced off, holes in the fencing can be seen everywhere. It created the perfect opportunity for cable thieves to target this remote area.

Read more here: Residents win against Eskom

Steelburger/Lydenburg News was taken to the site where cable theft is flourishing.
As a result of cable theft, Lions Rock and Elephants Hill 2 were left without power for three days. Eskom officials showed the reporter what the culprits did, as well as the effort it involves to find the fault in such a big area.

Barely a week after the first outage, the same areas went dark once again. It is not yet certain if this was caused by cable theft, but it is likely related to the transformer box that was completely stripped.

Read more: What you should know about electricity and your home

By the time of going to press, these areas were still without power for two consecutive days.
For those lucky enough to own a generator, the days of power interruption are a growing concern, as petrol prices keep going up. For those who do not rely on a generator, the effects are enormous. People reported they had to get rid of food in their fridges that had gone bad during the power outages. Community members are crying out for answers and a permanent solution.

No cases of cable theft have yet been opened at the Burgersfort SAPS.