ELECTRICITY outages as a result of cable theft have continuously plagued Amanzimtoti, and a resident has expressed his frustration after spending the recent festive season and a part of January in darkness as a result of cable theft.
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Morris Mothibe, who has a house on Wanda Cele Road, said his household had an outage on December 16, 2022, and he reported it to eThekwini Municipality.
“I received a reference number, and I was told the matter will be responded to. I made follow-up calls after the time they had stipulated had lapsed, and when the electricians eventually arrived, I was told the outage was a result of cable theft,” said Mothipe.
The electricians, said Mothipe, told him there was a severe parts shortage, and the outage would only be fixed when they had everything in stock again. The power was restored recently.
“No one is going to refund me for all the food that spoiled and the extra costs I incurred as a result. It is frustrating because no one seems to want to take responsibility,” he said.
eThekwini Municipality’s spokesperson Msawakhe Mayisela has denied that the City is experiencing a parts shortage. He did, however, ask the all communities to look after the infrastructure and report theft and all vandalism.
The Community Crime Prevention Organisation Amanzimtoti (CCPO) has also expressed its frustration with the ongoing incidents of cable theft. “Thieves are helping themselves to copper cables around Hutchinson Park. They have been stealing air-conditioner pipes, water pipes, and cables. This area is difficult to secure because of the size of the area, and it is open to the public with no fences – the CCPO can’t be everywhere, unfortunately,” it said in an online post.
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