City finds solution to Riverside cable theft
Durban North ward councillor praise City for their solution to cable theft on Riverside Road.
THE City has found a way to combat cable theft, especially from street light poles alongside Riverside Road. Large stretches of the road have been without lights for more than six months due to crippling cable theft. Now the City has begun a project to restore electricity to the street lights and stop cable thieves by installing overhead cables.
The move has been welcomed by Durban North ward councillor, Shaun Ryley, who said the solution would make it harder for thieves to steal cables.
“The City has identified the road as a high cable theft area and they could not sustain the cost of replacing the cables each time they were stolen. They’ve tried various methods including welding the covers over the wires shut, however, the thieves had found a way around it. For several months, sections of the road have been in complete darkness. I understand residents’ frustrations but I also understand the City’s reluctance to replace the cables each time which would be at a cost to the ratepayers.
“Now the City’s electricity department have installed overhead cables making it harder for thieves to steal. There is a bill that proposes changing the charge of cable theft to sabotage. I feel more stringent measures are needed to combat this theft and I urge residents to report theft or outages. At a later stage, perhaps we could look at installing mini solar panels on top of lights to draw energy from the sun,” he said.
To report cable theft or outages contact 080 131 3111.
