ANNUALLY, cable theft costs the eThekwini Municipality R120 million, leaving residents and businesses without electricity.
In recent months, the problem has shifted to north Durban suburbs’ crippling electricity distribution causing hour-long outages.
Northglen News spoke to Ward 35 and 36 councillors, Shontel de Boer and Nicole Bollman, on the scourge of cable theft.
According to de Boer, residents have borne the brunt of the thefts with several residential roads being targeted multiple times.
“Oxford Drive, Girvan Avenue and Norrie Avenue are often targeted by cable thieves. It is unclear what the thieves do with the cables – they could either be stripping them or reselling them which is increasingly worrying. Unfortunately, because of cable theft, residents and businesses are left without electricity for hours on end. Once an outage occurs, the process of replacing cables has to go through supply chain management which can take several hours. I’m urging residents to contact SAPS or their local security company if they see anyone tampering with electrical infrastructure. Another concerning trend is the damage to padlocks to substations in my ward. While this hasn’t resulted in more electricity outages, we are still looking at what is driving this behaviour,” she said.
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Her words were echoed by Bollman who said cable thieves initially used load-shedding to steal cables.
“The scourge of cable theft is not limited to the ward but is a city-wide problem. Areas within Ward 35, particularly Virginia, Glenashley and more recently, La Lucia, have been significantly impacted by this criminal activity. Initially, cable theft was more prevalent during load-shedding. However, the criminals have now escalated their actions to strike at any time. It has come to our attention that a syndicate is at work, with individuals being dropped off by vehicles to cut cables. They either stash the stolen cables in bushes or stormwater drains for later retrieval or if they are able to, take them with them.
“I encourage all residents of Ward 35 to be vigilant and aware of this situation. Active community involvement is key to curbing these criminal activities. This is where community patrols become crucial, especially during load-shedding when cable theft issues are most prevalent. For those interested in becoming more actively involved in their community, please visit www.dnucpf.co.za or contact me directly,” she said.
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In response to Northglen News’ queries on the increase in cable theft, City spokesperson Gugu Sisilana said the City had a dedicated team tackling cable theft.
“Cable theft and infrastructure vandalism have increased across the city, with many areas including those north of Durban mushrooming as hotspots for the crime. The City has a branch dedicated to infrastructure theft investigations. Teams are working very hard to mitigate this scourge. Fault restoration times depend on the magnitude and complexity of the repair required. Generally simple faults are repaired in a short space of time from three to 24 hours. However, when the damage is extensive, the repair will take longer,” she explained.
Sisilana urged the community to report cable and infrastructure theft by calling 031 311 9611 or 031 311 9835.
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