Minister of electricity and energy Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has ruled out the large-scale laying of underground electricity infrastructure in flood-prone rural areas, saying the conversion would be costly and could expose the network to cable theft.
Parts of Limpopo and Mpumalanga were placed under severe weather warnings earlier this year, including a level 10 warning for extreme flood risk issued by the South African Weather Service in January.
In a written reply to ANC MP Fasiha Hassan-Duma, Ramokgopa said most areas affected by floods in the two provinces were rural villages where electricity networks were largely made up of overhead lines.
Hassan-Duma had asked whether the ministry would commit to undergrounding or elevating critical electrical infrastructure in flood-prone zones given the increasing risk of severe weather events.
She also asked the minister what measures had been put in place after reports that pylon struts were stolen while power was out during floods in Tshwane.
Ramokgopa said converting the networks to underground lines was “not desirable” because of the high cost of conversion and the risk of cable theft.
He said Eskom was instead intensifying preventative maintenance in affected provinces as a short- to medium-term measure to reduce infrastructure failures.
The minister said floods also affected Eskom’s ability to restore supply because teams were often unable to access affected areas due to flooded low-lying bridges and weather-damaged roads.
He said soil erosion linked to mining activity had also contributed to the difficulties experienced during flood events.
According to Ramokgopa, electricity infrastructure in Mpumalanga was not adversely affected by the recent floods, with most interruptions recorded in Limpopo.
Ramokgopa said theft and vandalism of pylon struts occurred frequently in Tshwane, particularly on the Pelly/Hangklip line, and were not limited to disaster-related blackouts.
He said Eskom was implementing a combination of smart-grid technologies and strengthened security measures to protect vulnerable electricity assets.
These included predictive maintenance tools, data analytics to identify high-risk infrastructure, increased security patrols, co-operation with law enforcement agencies and the installation of cameras on the Pelly/Hangklip line to support rapid response.
Ramokgopa said Eskom was also replacing old lattice structures with monopoles, installing physical deterrents and structural reinforcements on pylons and other critical network infrastructure, and running community awareness initiatives to encourage the reporting of infrastructure theft and suspicious activity.
The theft and vandalism of electricity infrastructure has been a recurring problem in Tshwane.
In 2023, Eskom reported five pylons had collapsed in the Hammanskraal area after theft and vandalism compromised the integrity of the towers, while the City of Tshwane blamed metal theft for the collapse of other pylons that year. - Business Day
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