Blackout in Waverley lasts more than a week due to cable theft
Over 70m of cables were stolen underneath the N1 highway.
Residents of Waverly and surrounding areas have been powerless for the past week due to recent acts of theft and vandalism at Koedoespoort Substation.
The theft took place underneath the N1 highway on October 3 leaving Waverly residents and other parts of Region 3 without electricity.
The Tshwane metro said the cables are located in a confined space that requires underground drilling by specialised machinery to expose the joint points.
The metro originally planned to finish the repairs by Monday (October 7), however, due to the complexity of the work, it now cannot provide an indication of when supply will be restored.
“The regional maintenance team was alerted on Friday around 13:00. About 12 components were discovered damaged around 16:00 and communication on the power supply interruption was immediately instituted whilst plans for repairs were underway,” said metro spokesperson, Lindela Mashigo.
“The service provider needed to be provided with the purchase order prior to the commencement of the work which is dependent on the complete assessment of work to be carried out. By the time the authorisation was released, the service provider was already committed to another area (west of the city).”
Over 70m of cables were stolen during the vandalism. Mashigo said the cables have been replaced though testing still needs to take place.
“Due to the nature of the damage, the expected restoration will depend on clean test results as fault current may induce further damage to the network. All cables are already installed, joint and testing is underway, which will be followed by restoration if positive,” Mashigo said.
Ward councillor Adriana Randall, who has been on the scene since the start of the blackout, said that she’s especially disappointed over the lack of urgency shown by the metro.
“We are disappointed with the slow pace in which work has been done, this is very sad to see. This is all due to the fact that there is a current lack of leadership, direction and strategic vision in terms of which service providers must be sourced, who must be paid, who must give the instructions, what must be written off. All these delays have a detrimental impact on the residents of Waverley,” Randall.
Randall alongside councillors Leanne de Jager and Frans Smith have been on site 3-4 times a day since the initial blackout, bringing refreshments and motivation to the team hard at work.
AG Drilling supplied machines on Monday and last Sunday to drill underneath the highway so that the cables could be taken from the eastern to the western side and be joined.
“Last year, we had a similar incident where these people that steal cables have a lot of time to plan their strategy. Slowly but surely chopping up the copper cables on the highway. The urgent steps that need to be taken to get all the critical stakeholders on board, the CPFs, police stations, Bakwena, Tshwane metro, residents, and companies in the area, we’re going to approach all of them so that we can take hands in trying to secure this area, especially on the western side,” Randall said.
She acknowledged that procuring new theft-proof technologies would require budget requirements but the fact that South Africa remains a large copper producer whilst such rampant theft occurs shows that a change is needed.
She said she believes that scrapyard dealerships are not being policed properly and suspects those in charge of maintaining law and order may be involved.
Ward 84 candidate Anru Meyer said cable theft not only impacts day-to-day life negatively but also has ripple effects that affect the economy of the affected area.
“For many, extended outages mean losing income, food spoiling without refrigeration, and safety concerns due to inadequate power for security like gates, alarms, etc. With regards to the Tshwane Municipality and Region 3, the constant strain on resources for repairs not only slows service delivery but diverts funds that could be used for much-needed improvements,” Meyer said.
He said that criminal activity also increases the overall cost of living concerning rates, taxes and utilities as the affected residents bear the expense of constant infrastructure repairs.
He asserted that the issue demands co-ordinated efforts between law enforcement, municipal authorities, and community members to protect these critical assets.
“We need to enforce stricter penalties for those involved and increase preventative measures, like better surveillance and community patrols. Ultimately, fighting cable theft is not just about fixing infrastructure, it’s about safeguarding the well-being and future of our communities,” Meyer concluded.
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