POLOKWANE – Cable theft has long been a major concern and there seems to be no lack in creativity when it comes to the endeavours of thieves to outsmart the municipality.
According to Municipality Spokesperson, Matshidiso Mothapo, the traffic lights on the corner of Vermikuliet and Nelson Mandela Drive are just some of the consequences of cable theft that is causing traffic delays and havoc on the roads.
“Since the beginning of January there have been five incidents of cable theft at that specific spot. We have replaced the cables however, they was stolen yet again. The costs involved in fixing and replacing these cables are amounting to millions which was not in the budget.”
He further explains that this is a public problem and need to be handled as such. “We urge the public to please step forward and report all suspicious activity, as this is the only remedy for this problem. Money continuously spent on reinstalling cables could be put to better use such as to develop infrastructure. This is an inconvenience to everyone and we have adopted a no-nonsense policy towards perpetrators.”
The municipality initially wanted to install a spot-light at that particular robot so as to prevent further theft, it is however against road regulations and we could not go ahead. We are now looking to install stop signs in the area, however, the public is warned to heed caution.
