The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality has increased security at an electricity substation after protesters started a fire along the perimeter fence. This followed an extensive blackout in the metro at the weekend caused by an electricity cable being cut.

The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality has increased security at an electricity substation after protesters started a fire along the perimeter fence. This followed an extensive blackout in the metro at the weekend caused by an electricity cable being cut.

Security at an electricity substation in Nelson Mandela Bay was beefed up after reports of attempted sabotage there on Tuesday morning.

During a service delivery protest along the R75 in Kwadwesi, a group of protesters broke away from the road, approached the Chatty substation, more than 100m from the arterial road, and set fire to bushes and debris along the perimeter fence.

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Officials from the electricity department said that had power been disrupted at the crucial substation, the entire Gqeberha, Kariega and Coega Special Economic Zone would have been plunged into darkness.

This incident came less than a day after power was restored to a large portion of the city following damage to an electricity cable over the weekend that blacked out five wards, including Gqeberha's central business hub.

The metro's executive director of electricity and energy, Tholi Biyela, confirmed that he gave instructions for security measures to be increased at the Chatty substation following Tuesday's protest action.

"We received reports...