NEARLY 500 street light polls in Kempton Park had been vandalised the past three weeks.
The poles are being broken into and the wires inside the poles are ripped out, Themba Gadebe, metro spokesman, said.
“The City of Ekurhuleni is calling on Kempton Park residents to help police find people responsible for vandalising these poles, following the destruction of 480 poles.
“This theft and vandalism has a negative impact on response times for all other reported street light complaints as resources are stretched to the limit. A contractor has been appointed to assist with the repairs.
“However, since repairs include first dismantling the poles, the process will probably take several weeks to complete. We urge residents to be patient during the repair period,” Gadebe said.
Furthermore, the municipality has roped in a security company, CPI (Combined Private Investigations) to monitor several suburbs in Kempton Park in order to curb these acts of theft.
The areas affected include Esther Park, Kempton Park West, Terenure, Birch Acres, Birchleigh North, Norkem Park, Van Riebeeck Park, Edleen and Croydon.
Any suspicious activity can be reported to the police, the services call centre (0860 54 3000) or the control room of the security company (086-011-1108).
Tracey Butler, DA ward councillor, said most of the street lights in Kempton Park West were not working as a result of cables being cut directly from the poles.
“The cable thieves open the back plate on the street light and literally rip the cables of up to six metres in length down and out of the pole. In some cases, the connecting wires between poles are also stolen,” she said.
