While residents have been frustrated by the numerous power outages over the past few months, City Power has developed a contingency plan to help curb both cable theft and network overloads.
City Power acting spokesperson, Yumna Sheik said,”We have started to provide electricity to informal settlements, replacing copper cables with aluminium cables and building infrastructure to curb cable theft.”
The aluminium cable replacement will cost City Power R267 million but Sheik said the value of these cables is far less than that of copper cables.
The power utility will, instead of simply replacing copper cables, add measures to substations that will “make it more difficult for cable theft to happen”.
In April, it was reported that City Power has deployed resources to monitor and remedy incidents of cable theft in the greenbelt area of Wilgeheuwel and Struben’s Valley.
Sheik confirmed that three cable theft incidents were reported last week in Wilgeheuwel. The same cable was stolen three times, she said.
Residents can report suspicious construction vehicles working on the electrical network whether marked or unmarked and report them to the control room on these numbers: 011 490 7911, 011 490 7900, 011 490 7553 or 011 490 7504, 24 hours a day.
Sheik also said that the power outages are “definitely not load shedding”.
City Power said in April cable theft costs the South African economy an estimated R5 billion.
Details: City Power, 0800 003 251.
Related articles:
City Power deploys resources to Wilgeheuwel
Cable theft on Strubens Valley greenbelt
