PERSISTENT cable theft in Ward 103 resulting in frequent power outages has frustrated residents and their councillor, Linda Mchunu, who said this has caused him “sleepless nights”.

The continuous trouble of cable theft led to a community meeting in Shayamoya in December, at which, Mchunu said, a trio of suspected cable thieves confessed to their crimes.

Mchunu, however, said due to other commitments, he left the meeting before it was concluded.

The councillor has urged Shayamoya residents, and those from surrounding areas within the ward, to actively take part in efforts to bring to an end the theft of power cables.

“The issue of cable theft really upsets me and gives me sleepless nights,” said Mchunu.

Also read: Ratepayers and taxi association hold productive meeting

He added that this has become such a major concern because almost every second day reports surface of incidents of cable theft.

In the past, several community meetings have been convened to discuss this concern, some which included officials from the eThekwini Municipality and the local police.

Mchunu said the theft of power cables fails to abate despite regular night patrols by officers from one of the police stations present in the ward, namely, Intshanga Police Station.

The councillor said efforts to address this have included attempts to revive community policing forums and neighbourhood watches.

“We need our community members to really scold each other because this is not done by people from outside our community,” said Mchunu.

For more from the Highway Mail, follow us on Facebook , X and Instagram. You can also check out our videos on our YouTube channel or follow us on TikTok.

Click to subscribe to our newsletter here