Cable comedy of errors
FOURWAYS- A routine operation by City Power sub-contractors off Witkoppen Road became a case of mistaken identity.
When Ward 96 councillor Matome Mafokwane went for his morning walk he witnessed a group of men alighting from a bakkie on Witkoppen Road, running into the bushes outside Waterford Estate. He found the scene very suspicious and remembering the numerous cases of cable theft at Waterford Estate, he decided to investigate. He found the group of men digging a deep trench to unearth the cables that run alongside Waterford Estate, yet they did not have a ‘work in progress’ board, permits or identification from City Power.
“The workers also had a gas canister and a jig saw, which are tools that illegal cable thieves often use,” he said. “They light a fire under the cable and when the cable blows, cutting the power in the entire estate, they then saw off the cable.”
Mafokwane quickly alerted the police, security companies and City Power, fearing the worst. Yet when a representative from City Power arrived he recognised the workers immediately. They were from an electrical company subcontracted to City Power.
The police arrived just as the workers were being berated by City Power security for not having any identification.
The representative from City Power said that anyone working on a power cable should have a board with their company name and a City Power certification, as well as an identification card and City Power reflective vests.
Mafokwane urged residents to still keep an eye out for cable theft. He said that if suspected cable thieves could not produce the right identification, residents should contact their local authorities as soon as possible.
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