Concerns for service delivery as holiday season is here

Vandalism is taking a toll on not only the supply to City Power (CP) but also the supply of power to residents, leaving many without power for up to three weeks.

Residents of Nestegg Avenue, Oulap and Oortjie Streets in Wilgeheuwel have been struggling without power for 12 days.

Alna Liebenberg, one of the residents, explained a mini substation (MSS) blew up in Nestegg Avenue exactly four hours after an issue was reported with the MSS. This left three streets without power. She added they are unable to cook food aside from all the food they lost due to their fridges not working, they also don’t have hot water. She mentioned it has also become a safety risk as there have been break-ins in two different houses in Oortjie Street and dogs have been poisoned in Nestegg. She added another concern is their tickets for logging faults are closed but they are still without power.

Resident Barbara Ferguson added they had spent up to R20 000 just to cook and bathe.

“We have solar but have to use other means to charge the batteries as the weather isn’t playing nice. This costs more money in the way of gas and petrol. At the rate CP is going, our area won’t have power for Christmas,” said Ferguson.

She also stated they keep logging calls and the tickets keep getting closed with the status showing ‘complete’ when it’s not.

Bev Crous, another resident, added their home was burgled two weeks ago as the gate was on manual with a lock. She noted they are not insured for this, which means it would cost them more money. This is aside from fridges and freezers that were lost as there was no power.

Madeleine Furstenberg, a resident of Oulap Street reiterated, “We have been logging calls but it either gets closed or amazingly the job gets completed and it is not. We are on day 12 without electricity. The City of Johannesburg said the mini substation was vandalised and needs replacing and will take seven to 10 working days.” This was on December 12.

Mike Norris explained he tried to log a call, but after nearly an hour on the phone, he eventually gave up. He described there was the sound of an electrical surge at the mini substation and then ‘a loud explosion’.

“After that, several CP employees have been there to inspect the mini substation and take photographs. Each one told us that it was vandalised in the week before the explosion and that it would take three to four days to replace, depending on stock. The reports we are recei-ving from councillors are that it will take up to 21 days from the date of placement of the order. This could mean that the unit is only ready just before or even after Christmas depending on whether the manufacturer is open or not. It could even extend to the new year. In the meantime, there has been no direct communication from CP,” said Norris.

Ward 83 councillor Florence Roberts also raised her concerns for residents who have struggled without power for 15 – 18 days. She added the number of infrastructure crimes has increased over the last 18 months, which is taking a toll on the available stock. She explained at this stage CP can only replace a vandalised MSS after a minimum of two weeks. She added the Sonderend Road replacement MSS was switched on on December 13, after residents struggled without power for 20 days. Residents of Pafuri Road have been without power for 16 days and are still waiting for a replacement.

“I strongly encourage residents to secure their MSS before they find themselves in the same horrible situation. Be proactive, mobilise your neighbours and secure the MSS. Contact your security company or Clr Roberts to find out more. Thieves are more active over long periods of load-shedding. Residents must be hyper-vigilant and get involved with protecting the infrastructure,” said Roberts.

Even though residents protested sporadically, the problems remain.

On December 12, CP released a statement in which Isaac Mangena, spokesperson for CP, stated, “Roodepoort is under siege. In the last six weeks, 10 mini substations were vandalised. With the alarming rate at which the vandalism is occurring, CP Roodepoort Service Delivery Centre is struggling to keep up with the demand for replacement material.”

He continued to say an estimated R8.6 million is needed to replace infrastructure that has been vandalised, this only includes the approximate price of an MSS of R800 000, not including the labour and ‘sundries’.

He noted they have replaced four of the 10 MSS that were vandalised at the cost of R4 million and said they ‘are working towards securing the balance’.

“While our teams are working swiftly to procure the material, the waiting time is an inconvenience to our valued customers,” said Mangena.

He added a list of vandalised MSS up to date:

• Augrabies Avenue, Little Falls

• Madeline Street, Florida

• Sonderend Street, Helderkruin

• Crous Avenue, Helderkruin

• Alverstoke Avenue, Strubens Valley

• Pafuri Road, Wilro Park

• Johan Road, Honeydew

“As committed as we are to restoring power in the shortest space of time, we find ourselves in a predicament where we are unable to manage the high incidents of vandalism and theft we are facing at this time. CP has a programme in place to secure our infrastructure through palisade fencing, padlocks and an advanced security system.

”This programme has proved to be quite successful. It seems, however, that once we secure the infrastructure, the syndicate moves to a different area using the same modus operandi to carry out their organised criminal activities. With that said, we would like to tug at your heartstrings to assist us in taking on the watchdog role in your communities, help us to ward off potential crime and also do your bit by reporting suspicious acti-vity,” said Mangena.

He added a list of questions to be asked to CP employees to ensure credibility:

• Job card for that day

• Job wayleave if they are digging

• CP valid ID

• Take down the vehicle registration and

• Ask who at CP allocated the work

“If none of these can be presented, then risk management should be informed immediately. Any illegal activities can be reported directly to CP’s 24-hour risk control team on 011 490 7553, 011 490 7900 or WhatsApp 083 579 4497. We are also calling on the police to place more resources in high-crime areas, to charge those arrested for tampering with electrical infrastructure and ensure that cases that make it to court with the strictest sentence handed down to offenders,” concluded Mangena.