Surge in cable theft has locals shocked

A recent surge in the theft of electrical infrastructure in Centurion, specifically meter boxes and cables at mini substations, has residents and the metro worried.

Ward councillors in wards 66, 57, and 79 have reported that these thefts have caused frequent power outages, inconveniencing residents and businesses.

Ward 57 councillor David Farquharson said the theft of electrical infrastructure occurs often in his ward, with the recent one happening last week on November 11 and another on the morning of November 14 in Lyttelton.

He said the suspects target mini substations that are on the pavement in isolated areas.

“The majority of these substations have been hit quite a few times, and they steal most of the cables and parts from the substations.”

Farquharson said these thefts have been happening for some time, but started becoming noticeable or more frequent in the past six months.

“The parts that they steal usually lead to power outages of about four to five blocks.”

The electricity department said that it would support an initiative to put cages around electricity boxes as part of the Community Upliftment Precinct (CUP) initiative.

He said the length of the outages depends on how much of the surrounding infrastructure has been damaged.

Farquharson said normally the substations get fixed within eight hours, but when more cables are stolen, it can take up to three days to fix.

“This has been a really concerning issue, and we haven’t been getting much support from the SAPS, who should be patrolling and stopping theft like this,” he added.

Ward 66 councillor Ina Strijdom said the theft has been ongoing in some areas in Valhalla for almost a year.

“They steal cables from underground and proceed up to the poles. They cut approximately half a metre of a cable, which causes a power outage that lasts for about 15 to 20 hours.”

Strijdom said the suspects broke open the mini substations in the Hennops Park industrial area and stole the bush bars.

“This causes a problem for factories in the area as they are without electricity for about nine hours while waiting for repairs to be done.”

She urged residents to report any suspicious activity near electrical infrastructure, including mini substations, meter boxes, and streetlight poles, to law enforcement agencies and ward councillors in their region.

The frequent power outages resulting from these thefts have led to businesses suffering as they are forced to operate for long periods without electricity.

Sasol Garage business owner in Lyttelton Nico Botha said the ongoing power outages have cost him money.

Botha said he often has to rely on a generator to supply power to both his garage and the business above it.

He said this situation is worrying as he has to spend more on the maintenance of the generator, which causes financial stress.

“Another issue that we have is that when the electricity comes back on after a power outage, some of the electrical components, including camera systems at the back office, get damaged.”

Councillor Johan Van Burren from Ward 79 also expressed concern over the distress caused to residents due to unplanned power outages, which disrupt security systems and create opportunities for criminal activity.

“The theft has been happening for some time, but it’s difficult to pinpoint when exactly they started.”

He said although the suspects target cable and meter boxes, what they steal in each region differs from the next region.

“We have also noticed that the suspects are after old meters, but we don’t know why because the value of the copper is very little,” he said.

Van Burren added that the power outages that occur due to the theft are unplanned and take a very long time to repair, causing a lot of distress to residents in the area.

“Some residents have security systems that rely on electricity, so when the power goes off, criminals get the opportunity to conduct their dodgy dealings.”

Metro spokesperson Lindela Mashigo said the city relies on the SAPS to investigate and apprehend perpetrators.

“After apprehension, the matters relating to these thefts are handled by the SAPS.”

Mashigo said the metro welcomes donations for security enhancements under the CUP initiative.

Merle Kruger van Staden of Lyttelton CPF said the thieves target specific parts of the meter box.

“The thefts often occur three nights in a row, but there is no specific pattern.

These unknown suspects have been stealing a lot of the smaller boxes, but since we have noticed what they go for, they have now moved to the mini substations.”

Van Staden said it is difficult to figure out when and how often the thefts occur in the area.

“The CPF has put additional measures in place to deal with the situation, including nightly patrols by CPF members.”

Rekord reached out to police for comment but had not received any at the time of going to print.

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