Pretoria North and Wolmer residents in the north of Pretoria have been plunged into darkness at the hands of criminals.
From March 11, locals have reported stolen cables.
Ward 2 interim councillor Dana Wannenburg said that the stolen cable resulted in a power outage.
“This is very disturbing because we have cable theft almost every two days in Pretoria North.
I think it’s our local people who steal the cables because we normally patrol the hotspot areas and once these thieves notice, they jump on to another area,” said Wannenburg.
Wannenburg said businesses are losing revenue due to culprits who don’t even think about the consequences of their wrongdoings.
“We are really tired of this because it causes a lot of damage to business and to the residents as well.
Most incidents occur on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays,” said the councillor.
Pretoria North resident Quentin Meyer added that most of these incidents happen during load-shedding.
“Cables are stolen almost every night. The police are not even trying to help us catch the culprits.
We are fed up, law enforcement must do something about cable theft in Pretoria North because it is an ongoing thing and I don’t think this issue will be over soon,” Meyer said.
Another resident, Mogopolo Tlou said power outages damaged electrical appliances at home.
“You go to work in the morning and your fridge is working fine but when you come back it is damaged because of a power outage.
We spend lots of money buying frozen food and now it spoils because we can go over five hours without electricity.”
Tlou said the metro must implement strong regulations for those who steal cable theft.
Wannenburg urged the community to stand together in the fight against cable theft.
“We need the community to be involved in catching these criminals because, at the end of the day, they are affected also.
People must join the CPF and the team patrolling every night,” said Wanneburg.
Wannenburg said residents must report cable theft to the metro police on 012 358 7095/7096 or via tmpdcomplaints@tshwane.gov.za, grandit@tshwane.gov.za or rexm@tshwane.gov.za or cable theft unit on 012 358 1550.
Residents must remember to provide the following information when reporting cable theft:
– Your name, address and contact details (email address)
– Date of reporting
– Municipal account number
– Detailed description of the issue including the location, duration, and any relevant observations.
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