Cable theft leaves Northwold in darkness
NORTHWOLD – City Power says they are in partnership with SAPS and JMPD to combat cable theft.
City Power says that cable theft is the reason for the power cuts in Northwold and Sonneglans.
Residents in the two suburbs have suffered from three power cuts since Monday.
Read the previous article here: Northwold/Sonneglans power cuts
During the power outages, a complex was the scene of an armed robbery. Two elderly residents were held up at gunpoint at 10.30am on 20 July. According to Honeydew SAPS spokesperson Warrant Officer Karen Jacobs, “Three men entered the complex in blue overalls, they demanded cash and jewellery.”
WO Jacobs said that the 86-year-old man had been injured on his left ear. The suspects got away with cellphones and a coin collection. “They fled the scene in a red VW polo, no arrests have yet been made,” added WO Jacobs.
City Power, in a press release, explained that “Cable theft continues to be the scourge that affects the lives of City Power customers”.
The cable running along Malibongwe Drive was stolen at around 2.10am which caused further power outages. “Both cables supplying the areas below have been stolen thus it is not possible to back-feed the affected areas”, which include:
– Northwold
– Bromhof
– Parts of North Riding
– Strijdom Park and the surrounding areas.
City Power has a response vehicle which patrols high-risk areas based on theft and vandalism statistics. They are also in joint operations with SAPS on scrap metal dealers from time to time because that is where cable thieves sell stolen cables.
City Power is installing a pole to ground sleeves and aerial conductor cables (ABC) across the city of Johannesburg to prevent cables being cut by cable thieves. Also, ABC cable is made of aluminium and it is of no value to cable thieves.
An on-going community education and awareness campaign will focus on how the public can assist in preventing cable theft.
