City Power recovers stolen mini-substation after 10 years

[Hanno Labuschagne]

City Power recovers stolen mini-substation after 10 years

Johannesburg officials found a substation — normally used to connect residential areas to electricity supply — hooked up on private property, demonstrating the scale of South Africa’s power crisis.

Authorities who’d been looking for the 11-kilovolt mini-substation for the past decade, discovered the equipment at the property of a businessman when they went to cut off the power over outstanding bills, according to Johannesburg electricity utility City Power.

[Bloomberg]

 

[sjm]

I just can't.

How does someone steal a mini-substation, and for 10 years how did City Power not notice an unauthorized 11kV connection to their grid?

 

[DTBA]

I just can't.

How does someone steal a mini-substation, and for 10 years how did City Power not notice an unauthorized 11kV connection to their grid?

How did they get the mini sub connected is also good question

 

[TheChamp]

How did they get the mini sub connected is also good question

City power technicians or City power contractors. They always like to act surprised but they know how it all works.

 

[Mannydefreitas]

I just can't.

How does someone steal a mini-substation, and for 10 years how did City Power not notice an unauthorized 11kV connection to their grid?

How do you stuff up a working power supply company?

How do you bancrupt a working railway system and lose hundreds of km of tracks?

How do you ruin a simple postal delivery service.

A relocated sub station is a minor oversight compared to the grand scale bumbling of these baffoons.

 

[Apogee]

Wonder if it was supplying power to that cellphone tower in the video?

 

[genetic]

Wonder if it was supplying power to that cellphone tower in the video?

Probably a stolen cellphone tower too

 

[sandwitch]

Good for CityPower finding it. Now they need to throw the book at the businessman who they should've named and shamed.

 

[dualmeister]

 

[Neuk_]

View attachment 1662783

This happens more regularly than most would think, my wife’s family company had a few of these ‘stolen’ through a fraudulent order a while back, happened to a competitor as well recently. Apparently the rot goes deep as the Hawks are involved in the investigation and we hear a bit here and there of what they uncover.

 

[Magnum]

Was it really even stolen or did City power forget where they installed it?

 

[Skerminkel]

My fok Marelize.

 

[Dups!]

View attachment 1662783

I am not even mad. In this country, I expect such things.

 

[mike6870]

City Power was on site to disconnect due to non payment.... something doesn't add up ?

 

[TheChamp]

City Power was on site to disconnect due to non payment.... something doesn't add up ?

Why?

 

[Intox]

Jesus this article is horribly written, was this AI generated?

discovered the equipment at the property of a businessman when they went to cut off the power over outstanding bills, according to Johannesburg electricity utility City Power.

and then later.....

The discovery was made when a new business nearby asked to be hooked up to the stolen equipment.

Anyway news24 article below says it was discovered after a nearby client had applied to be legally connected to electricity.

Boost for City Power as mini substation theft comes to light... in hardware store, 10 years later | News24

A stolen City Power mini substation and electrical cable worth more than R900 000 were found illegally installed at a hardware store in Lenasia South – 10 years after the substation's disappearance.

www.news24.com