Modimolle’s persistent power problems: Thievery or sabotage?

Upset residents of Modimolle gathered in the town hall on Monday 19 February to discuss a recent spate of cable thefts that left thousands of residents in Phagameng without power for an extended period last week.

In addition to this, residents on the other side of town had no electricity for two consecutive days, from Sunday, 18 January, after several cable faults near the Boshoff Street Park and the Tambotie mini substation occurred. A power failure at Magalies Water’s Klipdrift Treatment Works also caused delays with the water supply.

The meeting was attended by twenty councilors, the mayor, the municipal manager, and a representative from the police, residents, and business people.

The spate of cable thefts was a hot topic of debate, with allegations that some of it is aimed at sabotaging the municipality. Mayor Sechele Sebolai also raised his concerns regarding this.

“Our workers have reported that they find wires cut at substations and that bags full of sand, blankets and rocks are forced into our water reticulation system. This causes much trouble with service delivery and is cause for great concern,” he said.

Residents complained that during extended power outages, they lose the food in their fridges and that small businesses which are already struggling, will have to lay off staff or close their doors, as they cannot afford alternative power sources.

They were concerned about the measures that the Modimolle-Mookgphong Municipality has in place to keep its infrastructure safe, as some residents reported that the guards on duty at one of the substations at night, were without radios or flashlights and wanted to run away when approached. They wanted to know what the municipality’s contract with the security company stipulated.

Long grass near substations which offers hiding places, also contributed to the problem, they said.

When the power goes off, there is a ripple effect on other municipal services as water cannot be pumped and the water treatment plant cannot operate, which causes sewage spills.

A cable thief was apprehended in the early hours of Monday morning by community members. A police representative told the meeting that once a suspect is caught, he mustn’t be taken elsewhere but wait until the police arrive on the scene.

“When a suspect is taken from the scene a lot of evidence that we need for successful prosecution in court is lost,” he explained.

Another resident urged people to come forward with the names of the thieves, as they are known in the community. Residents told Die Pos that community members have busted several people suspected of being involved with the cable thefts.

The efforts by the taxi association to patrol the streets to discourage cable thieves and to react when cable theft is reported were mentioned several times.

During the meeting, the attendees agreed that the matter cannot only be left to either the police or the municipality to resolve but that residents will have to become involved and ensure that effective action is taken.

Mayor Sebolai indicated that the municipality has placed police officers and security guards at crucial infrastructure to guard against cable thefts, but said they cannot protect every pole. The grass will also be cut short in the surrounding areas. The municipality will set up a community forum with stakeholders and community members to plan a way forward to prevent cable theft and sabotage from getting out of hand. A meeting with several stakeholders regarding this was scheduled to be held on Wednesday 21 February.

A fourth cable fault in the Boshoff Street area was still not fixed by Tuesday afternoon. Apparently, during the same time, several transformers in the Phagameng area were also down. Die Pos heard from a reliable source that as many as four transformers in Phagameng were out of commission in the last four weeks.