Darkness grips Centurion after cable theft spree

Residents in different parts of Centurion are without power today, frustrated by the outages that have repeatedly disrupted their daily lives.

Those affected by the outages say theft and vandalism continue to cripple the metro’s electrical infrastructure.

Bronberrick has been without power since Monday, Louwlardia since Sunday, and Tamara Park from today.

Ward 57 Councillor David Farquharson confirmed that there have been multiple incidents of theft and sabotage at mini substations across the affected areas.

“The cause of these outages is cable theft at different mini substation boxes feeding these areas.”

Farquharson explained that technicians were scheduled to restore supply in Louwlardia on May 12, followed by Bronberrick.

However, the repair team failed to complete the repairs in Louwlardia, which delayed progress in Bronberrick.

“They will work on getting power restored today [May 13],” he added.

He noted that teams are currently on site at the vandalised mini substation in Bronberrick at the intersection of Mariska Street and Pine Avenue.

Meanwhile, Tamara Park residents experienced a power outage this morning.

Farquharson said that in Tamara Park, cable thieves cut a cable, triggering dangerously high voltage fluctuations of up to 440 volts.

“This is risky until the cable is replaced,” Farquharson warned.

“Lights in the area were flickering, and it is possible that the neutral cable has been stolen. This can lead to unsafe voltage fluctuations.”

He advised residents in affected areas to switch off geysers and sensitive appliances to avoid damage during these irregular surges.

While infrastructure vandalism is the root cause of these outages, residents say the lack of response and poor communication from the metro are just as frustrating.

Christina Venter, a Bronberrick resident, shared her experience following the outage that began around midnight on Monday.

“On Monday, May 12, the municipality claimed a team was working on the issue.

“However, there were residents who stood outside their units throughout the day and saw that there was no one on site.”

According to Venter, a team eventually arrived and briefly opened the transformer box to take a photo and left without any repair work.

“Later, they returned, parked for an hour, and again left without doing anything,” she added.

“In the afternoon, we were told the power would be back later in the evening, but this morning we still woke up with no electricity.”

Another resident, Kevin Joubert, said he was frustrated that there has been no communication about when the supply will be restored.

“We have a WhatsApp group, but it’s not helpful either. We don’t get information about the estimated time of restoration.”

Joubert said the outage has affected his daily life.

“Food is spoilt, cooking is impossible, and some people are worried about their appliances getting damaged from these unpredictable power surges.”

For other residents, the consequences of the outages are far-reaching.

Louwlardia resident Michael van Zyl said there was severe damage to his home appliances.

“There were power surges that destroyed my appliances,” he said.

“Most of my food has spoilt, and this has resulted in significant financial losses.”

Van Zyl also highlighted the psychological toll of the recurring outages.

“It’s not just the physical damage. It’s the stress of never knowing when the power will go out again, the lack of communication, and the complete disregard for residents’ well-being.

“The constant cable theft and municipal inaction are unbearable.”

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