Two suspected substation vandals nabbed as R6 million damage bill mounts

THE SAPS Provincial Organised Crime Unit is investigating a case of tampering, damage or destruction of essential infrastructure, and theft after two suspects allegedly vandalised the Midlands substation near Roodepan.

Northern Cape police spokesperson Sergeant Molefi Shemane said two men, aged 19 and 27, were arrested on Wednesday in Roodepan.

“The suspects are expected to appear in court soon. The investigation continues,” he added.

Sol Plaatje Municipality spokesperson Thabo Mothibi said this was the third serious incident of theft and vandalism at the electrical substation this year.

“Theft and intensive vandalism, resulting in an estimated asset loss of R1 million, was reported on August 3 after a number of control panels were damaged. On February 3, 12 batteries with an estimated value of R1 million were stolen.”

He added that tampering with cables left residents in Roodepan, Midlands, Jacksonville and Lerato Park without electricity for three days earlier this year.

“Theft and vandalism of electrical infrastructure, as at the end of the 2024/25 financial year in June, caused the municipality losses of over R6 million.

“This has caused serious hardship and suffering for many residents, who are under the impression that outages are largely linked to technical failures.”

Mothibi pointed out that funds allocated for the installation of new infrastructure had to be diverted to replace stolen and vandalised property.

The electricity supply in Roodepan was disrupted yesterday following an explosion on an 11-kilovolt overhead line from Switch House Number 2.

“Our electricians are on-site attending to the fault in an effort to restore supply,” said Mothibi..

“Meanwhile, this past Saturday, amid a swift armed response, two suspects fled the scene while attempting to steal at the HA Morris substation,” he added.