Two men were electrocuted while attempting to steal copper cabling from an Eskom transformer near Glencoe.
The bodies were found when Eskom workers went out to fault-find a power outage in the Hayfields farm area on the Sunset Rest road.
The two men were found dead next to the transformer. Both were wearing protective gloves but it appears as if the current had gone through them while they were attempting to pull the cables. The rain may have exacerbated the situation, officials said.
The transformer is about 100 metres from the main road, police said. The men were identified as Sanele Madlala and Bongani Khubeka both of Sithembile, Glencoe.
Officials said cases of copper wire theft are on the increase in the area.