City Power claims its losses amount to millions due to cable theft and vandalism. The City of Johannesburg has been plagued with potholes, power and water cuts, stolen cables and theft of JoJo tanks for years.
Aside from the persistence of load-shedding which is recorded to have been the worst in 2022, Environment and Infrastructure Services MMC Michael Sun said in a statement on January 11 that residents and communities need to, ‘play a more active role in 2023 as infrastructure critical to providing basic services to the people of Johannesburg remains under siege from vandals and thieves’.
Ward 90 councillor Martin Williams said, “Cable theft and security of the City Power and Eskom networks are indeed serious problems in Ward 90.”
He explained that there have been two cases of people living in City Power substations. One, in Dunkeld, was in the habit of allegedly switching off an entire neighbourhood.
In Craighall Park last week Williams and team found a substation gate had been destroyed and there was a large hole in the door. “We all have to be vigilant and report suspicious activity. Not everyone in an overall, digging a trench, necessarily has good intentions.”
In a recent incident cables were stolen from traffic lights at the Wendywood offramp.
The high incidence of cable theft comes despite 147 cable thieves having been put behind bars in the second half of 2022 – about double the number from the same period in 2021.“City Power is currently seized with crafting an emergency plan to deal with cable theft immediately, which will include adding to its already more than R100-million security budget,” Sun added.
Chris Santana, Ward 106 councillor, weighed in on the situation. “Sector 1 CPF from Douglasdale SAPS has identified several attempts at cable theft in their sector where they have managed to arrest individuals and or highlight activity prior to cable theft.”
Santana added that CPFs and security companies need funds to maintain their ongoing volunteering in the community. Two local security companies are funding cable theft protection at a cost of R36 000 a month in Houtkoppen he said.
Sun said last year alone, over 200 JoJo tanks provided by Johannesburg Water were stolen or vandalised. Adding salt to the wounds, these tanks were supplied to areas without formal services.
“This situation breaks my heart. Cable theft and infrastructure vandalism are killing service delivery across the country. We need communities to work with us this year to put an immediate stop to this plague,” Sun said.
“I am appealing to every single Joburger not to sit back and watch our valuable infrastructure being stolen or vandalised only to enrich the criminals living among us. If you see or hear something, report it. Information can be supplied anonymously, too. You city needs your help.”
In an arrest on January 10 in Cleveland, six suspects were found in possession of 247kg stolen copper cables and bits. These were stolen from mini-substations and transformers. City Power CEO Tshifularo Mashava said, “We welcome the sterling work by City Power security, and the whole SAPS Essential Infrastructure Task Team in ensuring that cable thieves are arrested and harshly dealt with.”
Report cable theft to City Power 24 hours on 011 490 7900 and 011 490 7911 or 011 490 7553.
Related Article:
Fontainebleau experiences water and electricity woes after City Power digs into a water pipe
