Local crèche must replace stolen power cable

Staff members of Ebenezer Créche were disheartened to learn that they had to replace a service connection cable after it was allegedly stolen from the municipal electrical pole.

According to Pastor Jacob Mofokeng, he and the staff members of Ebenezer Créche went to the crèche on Thursday morning, 3 December, to prepare for their learners’ graduation ceremony. When they arrived, there was no electricity supply. After checking what the problem could be, they saw that the cable from the electrical pole had been cut.

The staff members reported the incident to the police but were advised to report the matter to the municipality instead.

Upon talking to the municipal officials, the staff learnt that they could not replace or install the electrical cable – they could only ensure the electricity supply through the wires. They suggested that the créche should find a private electrician to assist them with the installation.

Jeminah Mofokeng, the principal, expressed her sadness at the alleged theft of the power cable. She said the fridges had been off since it was stolen. She and the personnel were concerned that the food would spoil and have to be thrown away. The educators also need electricity to do some of the activities with their learners.

Pastor Mofokeng says it was not the first time things had been stolen from the créche. “This facility is a place where we take care of children,” he said. However, he said he would leave the situation in God’s hands as He always provides for His children.

Lieutenant-Colonel Paul Langevelt, the Vispol commander, confirmed that the staff had first been referred to the municipality to get the necessary details, measurements and value of the cable. This information is required when taking a statement and filing a case.

He says the police take such cases seriously as they impact the community. “It’s not a normal case, like someone stealing a phone or something,” he said.

He encouraged the staff of the crèche to open a case once they had all the relevant information.

William Maphosa, the municipal spokesperson, said it was the customer’s responsibility to protect the service connection cable and, therefore, the municipality did not replace them if stolen.

“They advise the affected customer to report the case to the police and appoint a private electrician afterwards.

“The electrician will work closely with the electrical section of the technical services department to reinstall the stolen cable at the customer’s costs. In this case, the municipality‘s sole responsibility is to provide an outage for the customer’s privately-appointed electrician to work safely as per existing norms and standards,” said Maphosa.

He explained that service connections for companies and non-profit organisations (NPO) like churches or creches are not subsidised.

According to Maphosa, subsidised connections usually come with the electrification of a new settlement, where they provide a basic level of service.

In the case of a service connection for a business or NPO, the relevant people would have to submit applications at the technical services’ departmental offices and pay for the connection. Replacing and reinstalling the power cable would be at the customer’s expense.

“The municipality simply cannot replace all stolen cables for every-one – it makes no financial sense to do so. Consequently, customers have been paying to replace their stolen cables and continue to do so,” said Maphosa.