Thieves pounce on open electricity boxes

Sundowner residents went hours without electricity as fuses were stolen from the mini substations on Kareeboom Street on October 5 and October 8.

According to Sundowner resident David Strachan on October 5 the electricity in the area went off at 05:30 and returned at 15:30 after City Power contractors came at 15:00 to investigate. They discovered the fuses from the mini substation were stolen. The contractors had told Strachan the theft of fuses was an ongoing problem.

After replacing the fuses, the contractors left the gate for the mini substation unlocked.

“On October 8 at 08:00 our lights went out again and I went to check the mini substation. Sure enough, it was standing open and most of the fuses had been stolen again,” said Strachan.

Again, City Power contractors replaced the fuses and left the gate for the mini substation unlocked. The lack of locks securing electricity supply boxes has been a problem the community has faced for two years as many of the boxes in Sundowner have no locks.

Isaac Mangena of City Power’s Relationship Management Department explained, “The issue of theft and vandalism has become a serious issue. As City Power, we are continuing with strategies to strengthen our efforts in safeguarding the City’s electrical infrastructure. We are embarking on improving technology that will be rolled out soon. We will continue creating greater cooperation and partnerships with communities, Community Policing Forums and business forums.”

Mangena said there was a greater collaboration with the Essential Infrastructure Task Teams established under SAPS and it was bearing fruits. City Power called on various communities to continue protecting the network supplying their areas as part of their collaborative efforts.

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