VKLM residents suffer under the harsh effect of cable theft

Cable theft more than often leaves the residents of the Victor Khanye Local Municipality (VKLM) in the dark.

According to VKLM, in recent weeks and especially since the beginning of the festive season of 2023, they experienced a sharp increase in copper cable theft.

Residents were, therefore, sometimes left without electricity for hours and days. In one cable theft incident on January 9, residents from the retirement village, Malita, were without electricity for nearly 48 hours.

Almost all Malita residents are living off their Sassa income only. Some are dependent on oxygen machines. Social media were flooded with complaints about fridges that completely defrosted and spoiled food.

According to many residents, it has also become a well-known fact that as soon as Ext 1 in Delmas is without electricity, most of the town also experiences serious problems with networks and cellphone signals.

“We become a ghost town with very little to zero communication possible,” one resident told Streeknuus.

In response to the persistent occurrence of cable theft within the Delmas and Botleng areas, the VKLM initiated a meeting between various local security companies, the Community Policing Forum, Delmas Valke Neighbourhood Watch and other stakeholders.

“This meeting was held on January 15 at the municipal offices in Delmas in an attempt to get buy-in and assistance from the stakeholders to address the criminal factor as well as seek possible solutions,” the municipal manager, Thabo Mashabela, told Streeknuus on January 22.

“During the meeting, it became apparent VKLM is plagued by copper cable thieves,” said Carel Botha, chairman of the Valke Neighbourhood watch.

“One of the problems is the number of scrap metal dealers in and around Delmas. We have to seriously look into this problem as we are certain that cable thieves sell to some of them.”

According to another stakeholder in the security industry, who wishes to stay anonymous for safety reasons, it is mainly drug users who steal copper in small amounts. The damage caused by these acts sometimes leaves the town’s residents and businesses in darkness for hours.

Another burning issue concerning power failures is communication from the municipality to the residents.

“Why are we not getting answers to questions about why we have no electricity? Just a simple why, where and when will be more than enough,” another frustrated resident told Streeknuus.

“But no, we are literally ‘left in the dark’ – when the power is on it is on and when it is off, it is off. One has to guess and read people’s uninformed messages on WhatsApp and Facebook to figure out what is going on.”

On a question to Mashabela about the lack of communication with the public, Mashabela replied in a media statement, “The municipality experienced an intermittent fault on the overhead lines, which resulted in random trips which are challenging to the establishment.

“The municipal electricians have since established the cause of the intermittent fault and subsequently resolved it. The municipality could not communicate incomplete information to the public; hence releasing the communication now.

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“The municipality apologises for both the inconvenience and the delay in communication to the public,” Mashabela concluded.

“A result of the first meeting was a larger forum seeing the light. This forum will address other risks faced by the communities, not just the cable theft matter.

“The forum will, in future, become a technical forum to the larger Community Safety Forum that will be re-launched later in the year,” Mashabela concluded.

After the first meeting to address cable theft, a follow-up meeting was planned for January 23 but was postponed. At the time of going to print, no further date was confirmed.