Residents of the Bonniemile area in Stellenbosch have experienced a significant number of power outages, with many of these disruptions attributed to rampant cable thefts. Over a period of six days, starting from 9 September, residents faced over 100 hours without electricity, making daily life and work increasingly difficult.
Eskom confirmed the incidents and says Bonniemile customers experienced prolonged periods without electricity supply between Friday, 8 September 2023 to Friday, 15 September 2023, after vandals targeted Eskom infrastructure, stealing overhead lines and causing severe damage to equipment. “Four incidents of vandalism was reported during this short period,” Eskom spokesperson, Kyle Cookson said. ‘The costs incurred to do repairs and restore electricity supply to the affected customers amounted to approximately R150 000.”
Eskom overwhelmed
Within the past week, outages have been recorded on 9 September (12 hours), 10 September (3 hours, due to cable maintenance), 11 September (17 hours), 13 September (22 hours) and 14 September (48 hours, exacerbated by a blown transformer alongside cable theft).
Complicating matters, the frequency of these thefts has overwhelmed Eskom, leading to significant delays in addressing and rectifying these issues.
While cable thefts have been an ongoing issue since early this year, the recent increase in frequency and duration of outages is alarming says residents.
“Notably, these thefts have a profound impact on those of us who work from home, causing severe disruptions even for those equipped with solar or inverters,” says a frustrated resident. The long outages also strain local cellphone networks, which result in connectivity issues.
Thieves well known
An employee from a local petrol station, which has also been affected by these outages, mentioned that the identities of the cable thieves are well-known within the Vlottenburg area opposite the petrol station. According to the employee these perpetrators are believed to be locals who have a detailed understanding of the region and know-how to safely cut cables.
“Earlier this year, around July and August, several homes in Bonniemile were targeted by thieves who meticulously located and stole outside copper cables,” another resident pointed out. “These criminals demonstrated their audacity by scaling even well-fortified fences, indicating a detailed knowledge of the residents’ properties.”
On 16 September power was restored just before 23:00. However, during the day alert residents discovered rolled-up cables hidden in tall grasses, likely stashed to be retrieved under the cover of night. Suspicious-looking youths in the vicinity were seen, one halted for questioning by the residents.
Historically, Bonniemile, which is home to many long-standing residents, has not witnessed such a surge in power-grid attacks. “The modus operandi of these thieves appears to be particularly devious.
“They tend to strike during rainy nights, taking advantage of scheduled load shedding between midnight and 04:00, knowing that the risk from live wires is minimised.”
Furthermore, there is a growing concern over youngsters being involved in these thefts, either directly or as daytime scouts. Some of these youths have been apprehended by local security firms only to return to suspicious activities shortly afterwards.”
But says the residents, the thefts are not limited to main power lines. “Any cable potentially containing copper, such as those powering electric gates or water pumps, is at risk.”
Eskom says it understands the frustrations of communities affected by the constant power cuts caused by electricity related crime.
“To ensure a reliable electricity supply to paying customers and keep communities safe, Eskom desperately requires the support of communities,” Cookson added, “and urges the members of the public to report any suspicious activity relating to illegal connections, cable theft and vandalism by calling the Eskom crime line number at 0800 11 27 22 or contacting the local South African Police Service.”
