Transformer disappears without a trace

A transformer that weighs more than a ton was stolen overnight from a substation in Horison.

In the early morning hours of Friday 22 August at around 1am, residents in Quail Street in Horison lost power. Thinking nothing of it, residents didn’t react to the loss of power until later the morning when Les Cousins joked, “perhaps the transformer was stolen”. Cousins walks his dogs regularly and Quail Street forms part of his route. He noticed the substation’s doors were open the previous Sunday, so he decided to investigate. He called out Roodepoort Police at 7.37am on Friday but only was assisted around 9.50am. City Power had not responded yet to their complaints.

“What they managed to accomplish here is actually quite remarkable,” said Cousins on the scene.

“The transformer weighs at least a ton and puts out 6 000kW of electricity, I wouldn’t go near it when it’s live.”

Cousins says the substation receives power from another substation on Matrys Avenue a few blocks away, and services Dove Street, Sterling Street and Quail Street respectively. It receives 6 000V from the other substation, which then is transformed to 220V for household use. Switches at the Matrys Avenue substation need to be flipped to cut off the one at the corner of Canary Avenue and Quail Street.

“I can’t say for certain that they were at the other substation to switch this one off, I just think these suspects knew a lot about electricity.”

An oil spill across Canary Avenue and through the gaping fence of Kloofendal Nature Reserve suggests that the suspects escaped through the reserve. Spanners and other tools as well as metallic plates were the only remnants on the scene.