Vandalised substation frustrates Knysna residents

Khayalethu Clinic in Knysna was plunged into darkness during the early hours of Wednesday after the nearby substation was vandalised.

Frustrated community members have in the meantime vowed to trace the perpetrators and bring them to book.

While the clinic’s diesel is often stolen, leaving them without a backup generator, on Wednesday there was enough fuel to get by.

Community leader in Dam Se Bos and Khayalethu, Siyabulela Kolanisi, said they had been notified in a community group that the substation was vandalised, affecting the whole of Chungwa Street and Khayalethu Clinic.

According to Kolanisi, residents in the street had battled to get ready for work in the morning and prepare children for school.

“Vandalism in the area seems to be growing. It was first in Hornlee and now it is in our areas.

“Even the [diesel] in the generator tank at the clinic gets stolen,” Kolanisi said.

Principal communications officer for the Eden and Central Karoo Districts: Western Cape government health, Nadia Ferreira, confirmed the clinic had been affected by the power outage.

However, she said service delivery had continued as the clinic had a generator due to load-shedding and other unforeseen electricity interruptions.

Ferreira also confirmed the allegations of diesel being stolen in the past.

“In January there was an incident where diesel was stolen from the generator tank at the clinic. This was reported to the SAPS,” Ferreira said.

Knysna municipality communications manager Christopher Bezuidenhout said the Garden Route town was experiencing an increase in incidents of copper cable theft. 

“Service connections worth thousands of rand were vandalised in the early hours of today [Wednesday] in Khayalethu and yesterday [Tuesday].

“This left households in the dark and caused businesses to suffer losses,” he said.

Bezuidenhout said repairing vandalised infrastructure cost the municipality millions of rand each year.

“The continued vandalism and its associated costs have forced council to explore a drastic approach in responding to this crippling problem.

“Theft and vandalism are serious crimes, as is tampering with the electrical grid.

“Knysna municipality strongly condemns incidents of cable theft and vandalism to our infrastructure throughout the greater municipal area,” he said.

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