Suspected thief electrocuted

A suspected electricity thief has died while his colleague is in a serious condition after they were electrocuted in Soweto. The two men were “illegally operating on an Eskom mini substation” on Tuesday in Tladi‚ Eskom said yesterday. Police are investigating. Eskom has expressed concern for the loss of life. The power utility warned that unauthorised operations on its electricity infrastructure are not only unsafe‚ but also lead to power supply interruptions caused by burnt out transformers due to network overload. Eskom recently reported the arrest of five members of the community in Orlando East‚ Soweto‚ for allegedly illegally tampering with its infrastructure. “Meter bypasses‚ illegal connections and tampering with the electricity infrastructure are on the rise‚ and are the main cause for the prolonged electricity outages experienced by customers during lockdown‚” Eskom said. It added that it had intensified its efforts to safeguard its assets by partnering with police and other law-enforcement agencies. – TimesLIVE