Scrap collectors and nyaope boys steal the iron that keeps the transmitters upright, residents say.
Siyavuya Power Projects’ workers dismantle an electricity pylon in Roodepoort, 4 September 2019. Scrap metal thieves have stripped the pylons. Picture: Nigel Sibanda
Eskom installed two temporary electrical transmitters on Main Reef Road in Fordsburg, Johannesburg, yesterday after parts of the metal structures were apparently stolen.
The steel components supporting the transmitters were destabilised by strong winds in August, but residents said scrap metal collectors and cable thieves were also behind the damage.
Resident Loli Ngomane said: “The scrap collectors and nyaope boys steal the iron that keeps the transmitters upright during the midnight hours and sell them to scrapyards to sustain their addictions.”
Two more damaged pylons on Main Reef Road had been vandalised, Eskom said.
Investigations were under way to determine the cause of destabilisation of the four pylons in the area.
Eskom spokesperson Reneiloe Semenya said Eskom had appointed security personnel to patrol the area.
Video by: Carlos Muchave
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