Seshego police need muni’s help with electricity cables
THE police have urged the Polokwane Municipality to consider installing underground electricity cables as opposed to overhead ones in a bid to curb cable theft.
SESHEGO – THE police have urged the Polokwane Municipality to consider installing underground electricity cables as opposed to overhead ones in a bid to curb cable theft.
Seshego police station, WO Mothemane Malefo, said the infamous izinyoka, who were notorious for stealing power cables, took advantage of exposed cables and cut them off easily.
Malefo’s plea came hot on the heels of an incident that happened in the early hours of last Monday in Ext 76, where a suspected cable thief was killed by a raging mob. The deceased was allegedly found in possession of stolen power cables and explosives.
His accomplices managed to escape the wrath of the livid crowd. The daredevil izinyoka employ the dangerous modus operandi of setting fire to the live wires before they cut them.
Malefo said the only way to curb the scourge of cable theft was by placing them underground, a move he believed would derail would-be cable thieves.
“Cable theft has become a thorny issue these days. We are currently flooded with cases of cable theft, and at the moment, we are exploring various avenues to stop these criminal acts. The Polokwane Municipality must come on board in this regard. We wish the municipality could implement a policy that would encourage homeowners to consider underground installation of their power cables,” Malefo said.
The municipality had been hit by a spate of cable theft incidents in recent times, resulting in severe difficulties to provide an effective electricity service to the people.
The hardest hit areas included Ster Park, Luthuli Park, Blood River, Makgofe and the nearby RDP settlements on the periphery of Seshego township.
In one incident in Sterpark, 120m electrical cable valued at an estimated R60 000 was stolen.
Approached for comment, spokesperson for the municipality, Tidimalo Chuene, could not confirm whether they would heed the police’s plea.
Her response was confirmation that: “most cables are stolen in the extension areas, where the standard design is overhead supply. However, where we have to replace a stolen cable it is done underground and this is a standard which we are adopting going forward. All energy issues can be reported to (015) 290 2490”.
