Criminals Attempt To Steal Cables Damage By Fire on M1

Picture courtesy: News24

(The Post News) – While assessing the damage caused by the fire under the M1, employees from the City of Johannesburg had to battle off a gang of people attempting to grab burned cables. The fire began below on Tuesday night between Smit Street and Fordsburg substations. City Power stated that the cause was theft of electrical equipment.

A hacksaw, screwdriver, and other equipment, as well as a cell phone, were discovered at the scene on Wednesday. City Power claimed its security crew exchanged fire with people living in a makeshift informal settlement beneath the M1 at Carr Street on Wednesday night after they were discovered taking the cables that was burned during the fire.

“A large amount of cables had already been cut and placed in recycling bags, but security workers were able to recover it all. Luckily, no one was wounded, and a criminal complaint has been filed with the police.” The portion of the M1 that was previously restricted to traffic has subsequently reopened.

Technicians are waiting for the go-ahead to inspect the infrastructural damage in the tunnels. The emergency management services team approved City Power’s access to the site on Thursday. Testing is required to determine gas levels in the tunnels. The Johannesburg Roads Agency must inspect the tunnel’s structural integrity to ensure that it does not collapse and harm technicians.

The utility is looking into ways to restore electricity to affected regions in Braamfontein, portions of the CBD, Newtown, and Parktown by back-feeding through the Fort and Bree substations. Electricity has been restored to the Metro Centre, Liberty Life, Braampark, and other office buildings in Braamfontein. It was stated that the conclusion of the assessment will define the scope of work and the projected time of completion of repairs.