Residents of Chatsworth, Kalbaskraal and Riverlands were left in the dark for several hours, some more, on Saturday evening as a result of vandalism. According to a statement by Swartland Municipality an Eskom substation near Kalbaskraal had almost been completely destroyed leaving these towns without power. Although the electricity to some areas have been
restored, there are still affected areas in Kalbaskraal.
The Municipality says residents in
Chatsworth, Kalbaskraal and Riverlands receive their electricity directly from
Eskom who is therefore responsible for the repairs to the substation. “Initial discussions have indicated that the substation has been damaged to such
an extent that it will take some time to repair. Eskom is currently working on
restoring power to these residents via alternative routes,” says Municipal Manager, Joggie Scholtz.
The power outage is
affecting the water supply to the region as well. The reservoirs providing
water to the residents of the Kalbaskraal, Chatsworth and Riverlands area, have
been struggling to keep up with the water demand due to the severe loadshedding
schedule of the past few weeks. “The continuous power interruptions due to
loadshedding has resulted in lower water levels in our reservoirs. The
vandalism at the substation has now further exasperated the situation and although
the electricity to the pumps have been restored, it will take up to a week to
restore the reservoir levels, on the condition that we do not experience any
additional problems or power outages. We are therefore urging residents of
Kalbaskraal, Chatsworth and Riverlands to please use water sparingly so as to
ensure a sufficient supply for all. The Municipality is putting alternative
emergency arrangements in place in the event that the reservoirs run dry,” relates Scholtz.
He says this is yet another
example of how vandalism destroys lives and opportunities. “The continued and
extreme vandalism we are facing, not just in our region but all over South
Africa, is leaving people without the basic services they have the right to. We
urge our community to report any suspicious activity or vandalism immediately.
Please do not protect the perpetrators. They are in effect stealing directly
from your homes. Please be vigilant and help us to stop vandalism in its
tracks.”
