PHALABORWA – Let’s Change Ba-Phalaborwa (LCBP) is calling for the municipality to take a stand against the constant cable theft and electricity infrastructure.

LCBP is a community-based organisation fighting for better municipal governance and service delivery in Phalaborwa, on May 5, wrote a notice to the municipal manager, Thabita Mokobi.

Concerns raised over poor electrical maintenance and compliance

The notice raised serious concerns regarding ongoing electrical infrastructure failures, substandard workmanship, and apparent non-compliance with statutory and regulatory obligations within the municipality’s electrical department.

Exposed cables and safety concerns raised

Speaking to the Herald for LCBP, Trevor van Rooyen said that when the electricians replace stolen cables, they leave it out in the open exposed, and don’t cover it up and he believes that is the reason why it gets stolen again.

When the cables are tampered with or stolen, power goes off for days, leaving residents in the dark. He also raised concerns on the Grosvenor transformer site, which is now left exposed and unfenced. On April 16, the exposed cables of the transformer were stolen.

Safety risks linked to non-compliant installations

Van Rooyen says this was an entirely foreseeable consequence of non-compliance.

“Cables were left exposed above ground in apparent contravention of the Occupational Health and Safety Act and SANS 10142-1. According to the law cables must be buried 600mm, minimum, but in most cases this does not happen. This is not only giving room for thieves to tamper with the cables, but kids can get electrocuted.”

Municipality accused of failing to respond to concerns

“We have reached out to the MM and the office of the mayor and we have not had any response. I don’t know, maybe if someone gets electrocuted, they will take a stand. “he said.

LCBP says it will be escalating this matter to the relevant oversight and regulatory authorities, including health and safety bodies, to formally investigate the following; non-compliance with applicable safety standards and regulations; failure to implement basic infrastructure protection measures; and the broader operational and governance failures within the technical department. 

Municipality response still pending

The Herald had sent an enquiry to Jonas Mahesu, the spokesperson of the Ba-Phalaborwa Municipality, at the time of going to print the Herald was still awaiting comment.