This comes after a rise in the theft of the power cables that run from Eskom’s poles into residents’ homes. “When you leave it hanging in the air, criminals find it easy to steal. If you bury it and let it run underground into your house, it is more difficult,” explained Selina Ngoveni from Bode village who recently hired an electrician to bury her cables in an attempt to prevent theft.

“There are many houses that are in the dark due to electricity cables being stolen, so I had to do something before they could come and steal mine,” she said. Most victims do not bother to report cable theft to the police. Spokesperson of the police in Giyani, Sgt Ridgewell Rikhotso, said he is aware of the trend but because victims are not reporting the theft, no arrests have been made.

Also read: Eskom cuts off illegal connections in Giyani

“Victims do not report these cases to us directly when they happen, they report it to Eskom instead. For us to be able to open a case for investigation, we need a complainant,” he said. “What people normally do when they have had their cable stolen, is to come to us for an affidavit which they need to show to Eskom. That does not help us in terms of launching an investigation,” he said.

He urged community members to report cases of cable theft as they happen. Eskom spokesperson, Modjadji Baloyi, evaded the question when asked if there was any action from Eskom when a theft is reported to its offices. Baloyi undertook to return to the Herald with a comment on the matter. Additional attempts to reach her for comment by phone drew a blank