Residents in several parts of town are worried about the growing number of electrical boxes left open on pavements and along streets. Many of these boxes, which are meant to be securely shut, have been left exposed for months, without any response from the municipality.

Community members say this is not only an eyesore, but a serious danger as well. Children often play near these boxes, and loose wires are sometimes within easy reach. With the rainy season now underway, the risk increases sharply. Water and exposed electrical equipment are a dangerous combination that can lead to electrocution or even fires.

“We sometimes sit without electricity for hours, especially when it rains,” said one resident. “It feels like an accident waiting to happen. We’ve reported these boxes many times, but nobody comes to fix them.”

Electrical safety experts explain that live wires in contact with water can create a deadly situation for pedestrians and animals. Even a light touch in wet conditions can be fatal. On top of that, unsealed boxes make the entire system vulnerable. Rainwater, dust or even small animals can cause short circuits inside, leading to sudden power outages and long-term damage to the network. That means entire streets or neighbourhoods could be left without electricity.

Local councillors have acknowledged the problem in past meetings, but visible action on the ground is missing. As the rainy season continues, residents are calling for urgent intervention before tragedy strikes or widespread outages disrupt daily life.

Councillor Elaine Rodway said, “The issue of open electrical boxes was raised by someone at the recent community meeting at Cecil Emmett Hall. However, this is not a new issue. Two years ago, during the Tidy Town Campaign, the very same issue was raised by Eckhart and Helga Meyer. At that time, it was said that it would be treated as ‘a matter of urgency’ and that measurements were being taken and materials would be ordered. That was October of 2023. It is now October of 2025 and the problem only appears to have gotten worse.

“Parts of Vryheid were recently left without power for approximately 48 hours, in some cases, when one of these exposed electrical boxes blew up. Add to that the recent acts, as well as ongoing threats, of vandalism to municipal infrastructure and you have a recipe for disaster.

Logic dictates that covering and securing these electrical boxes would be the most cost-effective way of protecting this infrastructure from exposure to the elements, both natural and criminal.
Safety is also a major concern and we cannot simply wait for someone to be injured, or worse, before this matter is addressed.”

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The news provided to you in this link comes to you from the editorial staff of the Vryheid Herald, a sold newspaper distributed in the Vryheid area.