Residents associations (RAs) have proven to be committed to serving their community and ensuring safety at all costs, and have brought about a new initiative to decrease the constant cable theft and vandalism of substations.
Chairperson of the Wilgeheuwel, Ruimsig, Amorosa and Poortview (WRAP) Residents Association, Martin van der Westhuizen, told the Roodepoort Northsider that all RAs will be working together to share a unified objective, which is to secure the community’s infrastructure.
“Cable theft and vandalism have been significant in the City of Johannesburg (CoJ) wards 97 and 85, severely affecting the community with frequent power outages, safety concerns, and economic impact.
“Our mini-substations play a crucial role in maintaining the stability of the community’s infrastructure, including electricity supply. However, these facilities can become targets for vandalism, theft, or sabotage, posing risks to the community.
“Businesses suffer from operational downtime, leading to financial losses. The cost of repairing and replacing stolen or vandalised infrastructure also puts a financial strain on City Power and ultimately the residents of the CoJ.
“To combat these issues, WRAP and other RAs in the area have intensified their efforts in community surveillance, reporting suspicious activities, and working closely with local security companies and our resident patrollers to enhance the security of the infrastructure. Collaboration and proactive measures are key to mitigating the impact of these criminal activities on the community,” Van der Westhuizen says.
The collective efforts of RAs have a profound impact on community safety and well-being. As they continue to evolve and be more vigilant of their surroundings, the importance of collective action in addressing safety concerns cannot be overlooked.
He adds that they have partnered up with a local service provider, Johannes Pretorius, to secure the mini substations as part of the City Power Community Partnership agreement. This service provider charges a reasonable fee to secure the substations with brackets, while City Power provides the locks to secure these brackets. Funds are raised by reaching out to the community and local businesses for donations.
“Securing the mini substations will benefit the community in several ways beyond preventing cable theft and vandalism. Replacing a mini substation costs over R800 000, and communities can wait up to two weeks for a replacement.
“While we can’t completely prevent vandalism and theft, we can make it much harder for perpetrators, which benefits everyone,” he says.
Through shared resources, partnerships, and proactive engagement, residents will feel safer and more comfortable in their neighbourhoods.
