Cape Town – A devastating fire, suspected to be caused by cable theft, severely damaged infrastructure on the M1 bridge in Johannesburg, requiring over R30 million for repairs, a report said on Wednesday.
City Power estimates R23 million is needed to restore its infrastructure, while the Johannesburg Roads Agency requires R10 million to fix damage to the bridge and its support structure, SABC reported.
City Power Group Executive for Service Delivery, Charles Tlouane said it will take nearly two weeks to restore normal operations.
“From City Power point of view, the overall work is going to cost R23 million. We had 11 kv cables, telecommunications cables in that bridge. We had 88 oil filled cables. So, we are replacing those by their own entirety,” Tlouane was quoted as saying.
The Johannesburg CBD experienced an unforeseen underground cable fire near the north double-decker on the M1 last week, resulting in smoke dispersal throughout the city.
The incident caused power disruptions in various areas, leaving numerous residents concerned.
Robert Mulaudzi, spokesperson for Johannesburg Emergency Management Services (EMS), said at the time that the affected cables supplied electricity to Braamfontein and adjacent regions, as reported by TimesLIVE.
Mulaudzi noted that the fire impacted sections of the highway, particularly Smith Street.
Johannesburg City Manager Floyd Brink has condemned the incident as sabotage and apologized to residents for the inconvenience, with a police case opened to investigate the cause of the fire.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
