Losses of over R6 million were suffered in the 2024-’25 financial year by the Sol Plaatje Municipality in Kimberley due to theft and vandalism of electrical infrastructure.
Amid a surge in incidents of these crimes in the Northern Cape’s capital, two burglary suspects were arrested on Wednesday morning, 13 August, at the Midlands substation.
Meanwhile, the previous weekend, amid swift armed response, two suspects fled the scene, having attempted to steal from the H.A Morris substation, says Thabo Mothibi, municipal spokesperson.
Mothibi says the theft and vandalism of electrical infrastructure has caused serious hardship and suffering for many residents who are under the impression that outages are largely linked to technical failures. Also, when theft and vandalism are orchestrated, supply restoration takes longer, he comments.
“The municipality is taking strain in having to shift funds meant to install new infrastructure towards repair and replacement of stolen and vandalised assets.”
Two of the most serious incidents at Midlands substation this year include:
• On 3 August, theft and intensive vandalism occurred, and an estimated asset loss of R1 million was reported. Many of the control panels were damaged.
• On 3 February, 12 batteries estimated at R1 million were stolen.
From incidents of theft and vandalism at the Midlands substation early this year, residents of Roodepan, Midlands, Jacksonville, and Lerato Park endured a three-day outage, with the cause being a cable fault resulting from tampering.
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