Stolen transformers in the Eikenhof area a concern for community
Something must be done in order to curb this scourge.
Communities in and around the Eikenhof area believe they are under siege from a criminal syndicate who steal transformers and metre boxes.
This is confirmed by Eskom, saying they sit with about 12 stolen/faulty transformer rectifier filters (TRFs) that need to be replaced in the area, and they can only do three a day.
They also have a lot of single calls to attend to.
Martina Ackerman from Community Policing said recently these cases have been recorded:
• 71 Montgomery TRF and meter box stolen;
• 86 Du Plessis stolen cables;
• 89 Du Plessis TRF pulled down;
• 123 Bronkdrive TRF vandalised;
• 75 Du Plessis cables stolen;
• Breaking at Tedderfield substation again;
• Next to Besa Plot 64 on R82 TRF pulled down;
• Plot 17 Nettleton Elandsfontein wires cut by the TRF;
• Misgund Road cables cut by TRF.
Ward 125 Clr Matsobane Sekhu said as a community they tried to safeguard the infrastructure. “The community in the form of CPF and local security companies like War Security have been doing their best to protect the infrastructure.
“I think it’s time Eskom gets involved in protecting their infrastructure. Eskom is the one who should be taking the lead in protecting their infrastructure, with the community coming as support to Eskom’s initiative.
“Another question that we need to ask is how the investigation by SAPS is going and how many people have been arrested relating to infrastructure theft and vandalism We all know that the problem has been there for years now. Crime won’t stop if we don’t have successful protections.
“I commend the community for their relentless efforts in protecting the infrastructure despite minimum to no support coming from the government,” explained Sekhu.
Eskom was contacted for a response, yet no comment was received. More reports will follow.
