Pretoria in the dark as looted high-voltage power pylons collapse on highway
Residents of the East and North of Pretoria, and Centurion are facing a major power outage following the collapse of seven electricity pylons on the N4 highway at around 21:00 on Sunday.
According to a statement from the City of Tshwane, the collapsed infrastructure is badly damaged, and there is currently no estimated restoration time.
“The City of Tshwane is aware of the collapse of the 132kv powerlines that fell on the N4 freeway last night, which resulted in a power outage affecting large parts of Pretoria East,” it said.
“The initial assessment by the Energy & Electricity team has found that at least seven powerline structures have collapsed and are badly damaged.”
Areas currently affected by the outage include:
- Leeuwfontein
- Sable Hills
- Glenway Estate
- Baviaanspoort Prison
- Kameeldrift
- Derdepoort (Zambezi Manor)
- Pumulani
- Zeekoegat
- Roodepoort [sic — perhaps Roodeplaat?]
- Mamelodi
- Waltloo
- Silverton
- Silver Lakes
- Faerie Glen
- Equestria
- Mooikloof
- Doornpoort
- Waterval
- Grootvlei East
- Grootvlei West
- Bultfontein
- Rooiwal
- Vastfontein extension
- Lyttelton
- Die Hoewes
- Môregloed
- Waverley
- Kilner Park
- Eersterust
- Queenswood
- Bergtuin
- Koedoespoort
- Montana Tuine
- A portion of Moreletapark
“The inclement weather is likely to delay the repair work,” the municipality added.
“The estimated time for restoration is not available yet. The city will keep its consumers updated on the developments.”
The municipality has also advised that motorists avoid the N4 highway east between the Solomon Mahlangu and Simon Vermooten off-ramps.
A Facebook user pointed out a post from October 2022, showing that the electricity pylons had already been damaged due to alleged theft and vandalism.
The post included images of the damaged towers.
“In the picture below you can see the different kinds of metal where it has been stolen and replaced and stolen again,” the user said.
“All indication is that this is an act of vandalism and theft.”
Tshwane mayor Cilliers Brink acknowledged in a video statement late Monday morning that criminal vandalism may be to blame.
“There’s been several attempts over a period of time to steal the metal that forms part of the pylon construction. There’s the possibility that this is, in fact, what happened last night,” Brink said, citing the area’s councillors.
“So not one attempt — several attempts and several repairs. In fact, when you look at the steel structure of the pylon, you can actually see where the repair work has been done.”
Brink said the extent of the problem is enormous.
“We cannot make any promises at this stage, except for the fact that we will keep the public informed of this assessment as well as the repair work.”
Brink said Tshwane is doing everything in its power, including speaking with Eskom to see what help the state-owned power utility can provide.
In a statement issued last night, Pro Med EMS said it responded to reports of a motor vehicle accident on the N4 highway where it found that several collapsed power pylons had caused a multiple-vehicle collision.
The first responders speculated that strong winds from a storm that hit the greater Tshwane area last night may have contributed to the collapse.
“Two moderately injured patients were assessed and treated on the scene,” Pro Med stated. The patients were transported to hospital, and the scene was handed over to the Tshwane Emergency Services and Electricity Department.
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