Residents supplied by the Cornelis Street substation in Fairland were once again left without electricity following another incident of vandalism, prompting Ward 98 councillor Beverly Jacobs to demand an urgent investigation by City Power.

The latest incident occurred in the early hours of December 28 and is believed to be at least the fourth time the substation has been targeted.

Jacobs said City Power’s own records reveal a disturbing pattern: every act of vandalism at the Cornelis Street site has been followed by a wider area power outage.

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“This recurring sequence raises serious concerns about the effectiveness of current security measures and possible systemic failures,” she said.

In the days leading up to the incident, residents reported a localised outage. Due to previous vandalism, including a major theft of infrastructure in February, private security company, Beagle Watch, had been appointed to protect the site.

Managing director Andre Aiton said the company installed an alarm system at its own cost and regularly cleans up the facility. He noted that the substation’s proximity to the highway and poor visibility make it particularly vulnerable.

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Jacobs has formally written to City Power senior executive Charles Tlouane, calling for a full investigation and improved preventative measures.

In the meantime, Beagle Watch has stationed an armed officer on site, while City Power delivered a generator on December 29 to assist affected residents.

Questions were sent to City Power regarding the matter.

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