The City of Mbombela (CoM) is experiencing a wave of cable theft that is crippling local infrastructure and undermining the economy.

Recently, major residential and business areas were left in darkness for hours, sparking outrage and financial concern.

According to CoM spokesperson Joseph Ngala, the impact of these crimes extends far beyond the inconvenience of power outages.

The municipality is losing millions to replace stolen copper cables and repair vandalised substations – funds originally earmarked for critical service delivery projects.

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“The money is being diverted to buy replacement cables instead of being used for the development and maintenance our community deserves,” Ngala said.

On January 25, cable theft at the Ferreira Street Substation knocked out power to multiple areas across the city.

In the Riverside area, cables have been stolen repeatedly since the beginning of 2026. To date, no arrests have been made, highlighting the sophistication and elusive nature of the syndicates involved.

The CoM says it cannot win this battle alone.

While security measures are in place, the sheer scale of the electrical grid makes it impossible to guard every metre of cable around the clock.

Read: Widespread power outage hits Mbombela

Ngala has urged the public to act as the CoM’s eyes and ears, noting that most of these thefts occur in plain sight of residential and business areas. Residents are encouraged to immediately report any suspicious activity or individuals tampering with electrical boxes to the police or municipal hotlines.

The infrastructure is a community asset; when it is destroyed, everyone pays the price.

“We play our part in guarding the infrastructure, but community members should come on board. We need everyone to help by reporting tampering with cables,” Ngala said.

While the CoM continues to repair and replace stolen lines as quickly as possible, the cycle of theft and replacement is unsustainable.

As the municipality battles to keep the lights on, the message is clear: without active community involvement and successful prosecutions, millions of rands intended for the city’s growth will continue to disappear into the pockets of cable thieves.

To report tampering and cable theft, Crime Stop can be contacted on 08600 10111, or the CoM Call Centre on 013 759 9301, or the emergency line on
013 753 3331.