The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality has called on community members to report and stop the vandalism of electricity infrastructure.
The call follows the collapse of a substation in Khayelitsha, Kariega, due to vandalism.
The City’s Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Electricity and Energy, Ziyanda Mnqokoyi, said the incident, which took place last week Monday, has resulted in the loss of power supply to many households.
Mnqokoyi said the substation is currently undergoing rehabilitation, and it will take approximately two weeks to fix the damage.
“We have been conducting oversight visits throughout last week in the affected substation building, which has unfortunately collapsed due to vandalism, resulting in a loss of power supply, and we can report that work has started.
“However, to restore power, a comprehensive scope of work is required, including the building of the distribution substation, procurement and installation of switchgear, and testing and commissioning,” Mnqokoyi said.
She said the team has made it clear that given the complexity of the work, ordinarily a completion timeframe for this type of work would take at least six months.
“However, they are working diligently to expedite the process, aiming to complete the project by 31 January 2025,” Mnqokoyi said.
Mnqokoyi has condemned the “blatant criminality”, and appealed to residents to stop vandalising infrastructure, as this affects service delivery.
The MMC also called on any resident with information regarding the incident to report it to the municipality’s law enforcement agencies, or the South African Police Service, in order to bring the perpetrators to book.
