Picture: iStock
The streets of Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni have been looted and plunged into frequent darkness.
Armed with angle grinders and saws, gangs of scrap metal hunters are methodically harvesting streetlights, suburb by suburb and block by block.
It is the light casings, photocells, cables and bulbs that they are after and with about 300,000 streetlights in Johannesburg and 200,000 on the East Rand, there are rich pickings in the offing.
“We have seen an increase recently of this crime,” says City Power spokesperson Isaac Mangena.
“If you drive around Johannesburg, most of the streetlights are vandalised – actually they have been cut off, mowed down by criminals for whatever reason.”
Mangena adds the city is investing substantially in technology that will safeguard its infrastructure and has appealed to residents to “also assist us to ensure these precious assets are protected”.
He adds: “The city will intensify operations to raid scrap yards who are the ones receiving vandalised materials, including from streetlights.”
Zweli Dlamini of the City of Ekurhuleni says the East Rand has the same problem.
“Criminals are stealing streetlight cables and aerial bundle conductors to sell as scrap or to use it for doing illegal connections.”
Streetlight pole covers are being stolen, removed or forced open to gain access to conductors inside the poles.
“Sometimes the fuses, wires, and circuit breakers are not stolen but vandalised to prevent the light from working, presumably to darken an area for other illegal activities.
“I have had many reports of crews with angle grinders going about their business in broad daylight,” says Democratic Alliance spokesperson on energy in Ekurhuleni Simon Lapping.
“People have also seen bakkies push over concrete poles to get to the metals at the top.”
Lapping estimates that around 10% of Ekurhuleni’s streetlights are in a state of disrepair or stolen.
“That’s a cool 20 000 light fittings, cables and other parts,” he said.
– news@citizen.co.za
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