Business forum armed their substations

Communities around South Africa, including Alberton, have been plagued by the theft of copper cables and vandalism of substations.

This often leads to prolonged power outages and interruptions for the communities. However, there might be some light at the end of the tunnel.

Businesses in Alberton North have joined hands to combat the problem of theft and vandalism inside substations. These businesses form part of the Alberton North Business Forum and have established a platform to combat the recurring power outages they are facing.

A spokesperson of the business forum, who wishes not to be named, said that they decided to take matters into their own hands as they received no support from the council to combat these recurring issues.

“We have experienced major losses as our substations were targeted at least twice a month. Not only do the businesses experience losses, but the council must replace equipment and lose income as they are unable to sell power to the businesses as there is no power for them to do so,” he said.

After they have realised no real change will take place unless they do it themselves, they reached out to a resident in Brackenhurst who has successfully deterred these criminal elements.

The spokesperson said: “We decided to arm the substations with alarm systems which are linked to armed response. We then reached an agreement with CPS Security. They did the installation of the alarm systems at no cost. We only have to pay the monthly fee. We approached the council to get permission for the installation of these systems and they consented, as long as it cost them nothing.

“We have since then armed the substations and we have not had any incident of theft or vandalism since then,” he said.

This arrangement with the council is a symbiotic relationship by nature – it has mutual benefits, for both the business and the council. Businesses suffer fewer production losses and council has fewer expenses to replace stolen equipment and infrastructure.

The business forum has recently installed extended-life batteries to power the alarm systems as they have realised that the continuous load-shedding impacted the batteries’ charge times.

The executive mayor of Ekurhuleni, Tania Campbell, commended the collaboration between the Alberton North Business Forum and CPS Security. She said: “The collaboration has been a success and I encourage wards across Alberton to put the same systems in place.”

Other wards in Alberton have since reached out to the business forum to find out how they can put similar systems in place.

The spokesperson of the business forum has said that their work is not yet done.

“The criminals have moved their focus to the mini-substations and distribution boxes on our streets. Our businesses have once again made a plan to secure these boxes, and some have welded the boxes closed or secured it with enclosures and locks.”

In the future, the business forum wants to continue making a difference and an impact in the community.

“We not only want to address service delivery issues but also the quality of our service delivery. It does not help potholes are being filled but in two weeks they are open again. Therefore, the quality of service we receive also needs to improve,” the spokesperson said.