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City Power responds to outages and recent Hursthill crime surge

City Power are on a mission to restore service amid a surge in theft and vandalism that has strained operations across Hursthill and the inner city.

City Power is actively addressing a recent surge in power outages that have affected areas supplied by the Hursthill Service Delivery Centre (SDC) and the inner city.

The ongoing inclement weather has further strained the utility’s electrical infrastructure, complicating efforts to resolve these interruptions. A significant challenge has emerged in the form of theft and vandalism across the Hursthill SDC supply areas. Over the past week, incidents of theft and vandalism have been reported in Fairland, Newlands, Northcliff, and Greenside, placing immense pressure on City Power’s daily operations.

Read more: City Power battles surge in outages as severe weather takes its toll

“Our electrical infrastructure has become a target for criminals looking to make a quick profit by stealing copper cables, medium-voltage (MV) fuses, transformers, and other essential components,” said Isaac Mangena, spokesperson for City Power. Initially, cable theft and vandalism incidents were concentrated in the Roodepoort SDC supply areas, however, thanks to enhanced security measures and co-ordinated efforts with local communities and police forums, these crimes shifted to the Randburg supply areas. Unfortunately, in recent weeks, criminal activity has moved to the Hursthill supply areas, resulting in a troubling rise in incidents.

This surge has contributed to numerous power interruptions and has led to high call volumes, with over 800 outage calls logged. Despite these challenges, City Power has successfully apprehended over 35 suspects during the festive season across all eight of its SDCs. These arrests were made for various crimes, including cable theft, vandalism, and tampering with essential infrastructure.

Vandalized cables in the Northcliff area.

Also read: City Power under the microscope as entity rates itself almost 4/5

While acknowledging that some customers remain affected, City Power has made progress in resolving many of the power interruptions caused by theft and vandalism. However, according to Mangena, the utility is incurring significant losses due to the replacement costs for damaged and stolen infrastructure .

A recent incident at the Roosevelt Substation (Northcliff South distributor) illustrates the extent of the problem. After responding to an outage call on January 7, City Power’s teams managed to partially restore service by January 10.

However, further investigation revealed that a transformer substation in Northcliff had been completely ransacked. Criminals stole a 315 KVA indoor transformer, transformer components, and substantial quantities of copper cables. This theft resulted in a prolonged outage affecting Wilson, Neale, and surrounding streets.

Fortunately, teams were able to install a new transformer, fully restoring power to affected customers on the morning of January 14.

To combat these issues, City Power has established an anonymous tip-off line for residents to report suspected illegal connections, theft, vandalism, or any suspicious activity involving electrical infrastructure.

“Community involvement is crucial in helping us tackle these crimes,” Mangena highlighted. By working together, City Power aims to enhance security and ensure reliable customer service.

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Related article: City Power revenue drive disconnects defaulters who are millions in debt

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