The N4 at Simon Vermooten and Solomon Mahlangu was closed after power towers fell onto the highway. (Photo: Pro Med EMS)
The repeated looting and damage to power towers along the N4 in Pretoria may have been the reason why several power towers were downed during a storm on Sunday evening given up and on that highway case it.
Cilliers Brink, Tshwane’s mayor, was on the scene on Monday where high voltage cables lay across the highway. The road is still closed to traffic at the Simon Vermooten and Solomon Mahlangu exits while large parts of Pretoria East and Mamelodi are still without power.
According to Brink, council members informed him that some of these structures had been tampered with several times.
“Over a period of time, there have been several attempts to steal the steel that forms part of these power towers’ structure. There is a possibility that this happened here again last night,” Brink said in a video on Twitter.
Photos that have since been shared on social media show large gaps in the structure where steel is believed to have been broken off and stolen. This could obviously compromise the stability of the structure.
In a post shared on Twitter in October last year, the user warns the Tshwane metro that this very structure along the N4 at Solomon Mahlangu is damaged and may collapse. It is not clear if any repairs have been done afterwards.
@CityTshwane the integrity of your line is compromised. The tower is at N4 offramp (east bound) to Solomon Mahlangu.This line will collapse on N4 since the members are stolen. Furthermore, 2 lines connecting Blyde have their cables exposed & 1 stolen at same point as previously. pic.twitter.com/Ua4TDLz99O
— Martin (@9iceFacts) October 8, 2022
However, Brink indicated on Monday that repairs had already been made several times, although this did not stop miscreants from causing damage again.
“If you look at the structure, you can clearly see where repairs have been done. However, there is a strong possibility that this incident [Sondagaand] was caused by criminal vandalism.
“The scale of the problem is enormous. We cannot make any promises at this stage, except that we will keep members of the public informed of the assessment and repairs. The City is doing everything in its power to see what can be done – including discussions with Eskom.”
[WATCH] Several pylons collapsed last night causing serious damage and power outages affecting large parts of Pretoria East including Mamelodi. pic.twitter.com/rqiEXLg6yc
— Mayor Cilliers Brink (@tshwane_mayor) April 10, 2023
