Valhalla in Centurion continues to be plagued by power failures due to cable theft.
The situation has become so bad that some residents were even on Christmas day without power.
A 65-year-old resident said there were three cable theft crimes in her street in Valhalla over the festive season.
“I am at a point where the fun and games without electricity are now over.”
She said on Christmas day, they were left without electricity for 24-hours.
“On 9 and 10 January this year, we were again left without electricity for more than 30 hours.”
Then, on 15 and 16 January, 19 hours went by for these residents without any electricity.
“We log our complaints at the call centres, but they would just tell us the problem is fixed, while we are sitting in the dark and our food is going to waste.”
ALSO READ: Foiled cable theft in Valhalla
This resident said another contributing factor was that the wind often blew the trees against the power cables causing further problems.
“Valhalla residents are sick and tired of paying their accounts and not receiving continued services.”
Local councillor Ina Strijdom called on the Valhalla community not to give up on this fight.
“I know it is a huge responsibility and the wins might seem less than the losses, but I believe we will have success if we work together.”
ALSO READ: Valhalla sees spike in cable theft
Strijdom said cable theft issues were being addressed when reported – but “this evil scourge remains a challenge in Valhalla”.
She has requested that copper cables be replaced with bundle cables to curb cable theft in Valhalla.
Strijdom said the metro had already started with replacements, but that areas where cables have not been replaced, were being targeted.
“I had a discussion with the electricity team who promised to continue with the project as a matter of urgency,” said Strijdom.
An enquiry was sent to Tshwane metro but no response was received by the time of going to print.
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