Most of Vryheid and its surrounding areas experienced blackouts since this weekend as a result of rampant cable theft.
The Vryheid Herald accompanied Ken Tupper of AbaQulusi’s Electrical Department to one of the scenes of the crime this morning.
With the overgrown grass concealing their presence, cable thieves dug up two 45m lengths of 11 000volt cable along Jan Moolman Street at about 2am.
The extra burden on the electrical grid following the theft resulted in problems at the various sub-stations including the sub-station at the corner of South and Mason Streets.
While the faults were isolated and the power back-fed to restore electricity supply to the town, parts of the industrial area and Sasko may still be experiencing a power outage.
Mr Tupper appealed to the Vryheid community to be on the lookout for any suspicious vehicles or activity in their area.
“If you notice anything suspicious, take as much information as possible. If it is a suspicious vehicle, try and get the registration number and the make and model of the vehicle. Report this to the municipality and we will follow up,” urges Mr Tupper.
Residents can expect another momentary disruption of power when the Mason Street sub-station is normalised later today.
See this week’s print edition of the Vryheid Herald for details on the shocking number of cable theft incidents that took place over the weekend.
