The thieves risked their lives as they targeted about 3 500m of copper cable from a live power line near Kleinkrantz, adjacent to the N2 national road.
Chantel Edwards-Klose, the media liaison officer at the George Municipality, said the vandalising of the Pine Dew line has caused disruptions in electrical supply to this area. According to Edwards-Klose, about 500m of cable has been recovered. Captain Malcolm Pojie, the Southern Cape Police spokesperson, said about 3 000m of cable is still missing and the police's Directorate of Priority Crime Investigation's (DPCI) Organised Crime Unit, based in George, is investigating. He estimates the value of the copper cable at about R150 000.
On Monday morning the George Municipal Electro-Technical Department arranged with Knysna Municipality and Eskom to use an emergency electricity supply point between George and Sedgefield electrical networks to supply electricity to the affected clients while they worked on the repairs to the vandalised power line.
At 16:15 on Monday afternoon Edwards-Klose said, "The emergency electricity supply has been switched on for Wilderness electrical users. In the meantime, the Electro-Technical Department is continuing with repairs to the vandalised power line." The work on the line was finished by Tuesday afternoon.
Pojie asked anybody with information about the theft to call the investigating officer, Captain Martin van der Merwe, on 044 802 1609, 082 7787 266 or Crime Stop on 08600 10111.
Large roles of new copper cables had to be delivered to the vandalised area to replace the stolen cables.
ARTICLE: CHRISTO VERMAAK, GEORGE HERALD JOURNALIST
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