Cable theft leaves electric pole leaning
Due to the lack of a working crane, it took Mogale City more than three weeks to repair a leaning electricity pole.
A damaged utility pole on Trezona Avenue, left leaning dangerously after cable theft, took more than three weeks to repair – forcing the municipality to hire a crane at the expense of ratepayers.
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On February 2, residents Elaine van Aswegen (49) and Theresa Gerber (55) heard a noise outside their home on Trezona Avenue. Upon investigating, they saw criminals stealing electrical cables, leaving a nearby utility pole unstable.
Concerned about the pole’s condition, Van Aswegen immediately reported the issue to Ward 9 Councillor Lynette Zwankhuizen. Despite repeated complaints and visible movement of the pole, Mogale City officials dismissed concerns, stating it was not at risk of falling.
For three weeks, every time it rained, the pole shifted even more,” Van Aswegen said.
“We kept reporting it, but nothing was done. Meanwhile, people were walking underneath it every day.”
The delay in repairs also created an additional financial burden for the municipality. According to Zwankhuizen, the city’s electricity division had to hire a crane to complete the work because Mogale City’s own crane was out of service.
“There was a delay because the municipality’s crane had mechanical issues. As a result, we had to wait for a hired crane before the pole could be repaired,” Zwankhuizen explained.
The pole was finally fixed on March 7, but for residents, the issue raises concerns about infrastructure maintenance and the city’s slow response to urgent repairs.
“The repairs should have been done immediately, not after three weeks of back-and-forth. If the city had acted sooner, the extra cost to ratepayers could have been avoided,” Van Aswegen said.
With frustrations mounting, residents are calling for improved efficiency in municipal repairs to prevent similar delays –and unnecessary expenses – in the future.
The Krugersdorp News approached Mogale City Local Municipality for comment on the matter, but communications officer Refilwe Mahlangu did not provide feedback on why it took so long to repair the pole.
In her response to the News’ questions, Mahlangu explained that residents should forward complaints of this nature to their customer services team.
“After that, a reference number will be recorded so that our customer support staff may monitor the system and offer assistance when needed,” she said.
Regarding upcoming service-related concerns, residents should send a WhatsApp to 083 787 2814 and call the customer service centre on 0861 664 253.
