Johannesburg - Power utility City Power has warned residents against tampering with its electricity infrastructure after the deaths of two unknown people in different areas.
City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena said on Tuesday afternoon that a foreign national from Lesotho was killed early Tuesday morning after he allegedly vandalised a mini substation at Hawker Siddeley in Roodepoort.
“It is alleged that the victim illegally opened the mini substation with the intention to steal copper bits from inside. The mini substation blew up badly, injuring the person. He was taken to hospital where he was certified dead,” Mangena said.
According to City Power, the area of Roodepoort has been plagued by vandalism and cable theft incidents, which have been on the rise recently.
The area of Roodepoort is plagued by senseless vandalism and cable theft which has been on the rise in recent days. pic.twitter.com/d4wCHBg0Ry
Mangena added that in another incident, the body of a 28-year-old woman was found on Monday afternoon in a bushy wetland area of Meriting section, Lenasia.
“It is suspected that the woman got electrocuted by the illegal connections running through the bushes. The residents say the woman went missing on October 8 after a community meeting in the area,” he said.
City Power said it was alerted on Monday by the police, who requested it switch off the power and remove the illegal connections to ensure the area is safe for them to do their work.
“We have been grappling with the problem of illegal connections in the Lenasia area, which are not only costing City Power millions of rands in lost revenue but are dangerous, as proven in this case,” Mangena said.
City Power confirmed that both cases were handed over to the police, who are busy with their investigations, and the utility extended condolences to the families of both victims.
The Star