Guards to curb cable theft

MBOMBELA – Cable theft seems to be prevalent in the city and the municipality has geared itself up to fight back. Mbombela Local Municipality (MLM) has deployed security guards at Ferdinand Road just outside town.
The 24-hour security system is an outcry and a sign that the municipality is fed up with crime.

“This is our last resort, because it has been going on for so long. This road in particular has proven to be a target for such mischievous acts.

The cables wouldn’t last a day. You fix the robots today, and tomorrow the copper cables are stolen, it is very disturbing,” said Mr Joseph Ngala, spokesperson for MLM.

According to the municipality, this theft had also affected nearby residents in terms of being subjected to crime. “The cable theft doesn’t only affect traffic lights and traffic flow altogether, it goes deeper than that.

Some residents have to go without lights, and thus they are subjected to crime. This has become very disturbing, and we had to do something,” Ngala added.

Confirmations were also made by MLM that there were key areas identified in the city that would also be guarded in the fight against cable theft, one being on the N4 towards Mbombela Stadium.

“We have quite a number of places that have been plagued by this pandemic, and we are fixing all of that. Although this whole process is now a setback because we have to spend a lot of money on things we have not planned for.

This is a fight in which everyone has to get involved because we are all affected somehow.”