Cable thieves have plunged the town of Brandfort and the surrounding areas into darkness. Eskom reported that a criminal act has led a bulk power supply loss in this Free State town, located 50 km outside Bloemfontein.
Stefanie Jansen van Rensburg, spokesperson of Eskom’s central region, said an organised syndicate targeted cables at the Houtenburg traction and Brandfort traction substations.
This group capitalises on rolling blackouts due to the prolonged load shedding periods. South Africa is currently experiencing Stage 6 load shedding due to a ramp-up in planned maintenance overlapping with unplanned breakdowns. The situation is only worsened due to lower reserves, which have not recovered fully.
“About 3 100 direct Eskom customers feeding from the BC, BV, BS, BL, and BMA lines are also affected. It is suspected that these acts of theft were committed during the evening load shedding, between 20:00 and 24:00. Customers have been without supply since then,” says Janse van Rensburg, adding that there is work in progress to restore the power supply.
“It is expected that the power supply should be restored by 17:00 this afternoon,” she says.
Cable thieves gained entry into Eskom power stations supplying Brandfort and surrounding areas after cutting the fence, taking advantage of stage 6 load shedding countrywide.
The entity has condemned rampant criminal acts that lead to the increased negative impact to its clients and the public, adding that they are appealing for the public’s assistance to curb the escalating rate of cable theft.
“In the interest of all electricity users, we urge the public to immediately report any suspicious activities related to Eskom infrastructure to the police or to relevant safety and security structures,” says Janse van Rensburg.
The public can contact the Eskom Contact Centre at 08600-37566 or send an SMS to the Crime Line on 32211.
