On Friday evening (25 June) the two Free State towns as well as surrounding Tikwana Township, Oppermansdrift, Kameeldoring and Ferdinand were left in the dark when electrical cables at a nearby substation were cut and stolen.
Spokesperson for Eskom in the Free State, Stefanie Jansen van Rensburg, says the utility managed to remedy the situation at 20:40 pm on Saturday, 26 June.
No one has been apprehended for the theft of the electrical cables.
The power utility condemns the theft in light of the financial losses incurred in replacing the cables as well as the inconvenience that is endured by other citizens.
In October 2020, Eskom Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Andre de Ruyter, revealed that cable thefts costs the financially burdened utility about R50 million per annum.
He revealed that since 2015, reported cable theft incidents countrywide have risen.
Roughly 1458 incidents of cable theft are reported every year.
De Ruyter says they are working alongside law enforcement agencies to ensure that the situation is kept under control.
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