Tshwane metro police to patrol Moot to prevent cable theft

The Tshwane metro has committed to engaging patrollers in the Moot in Pretoria to mitigate cable theft and vandalism.

This comes after frustrations from residents in the Moot as cable theft surges in many neighbourhoods.

Many parts have been reportedly experiencing power outages for over 10 consecutive days, with the recent one being reported last weekend, in Moregloed.

According to the metro spokesperson Lindela Mashigo, the obstacle setting back their efforts and causing the most widespread disruption and outages is the persistent and escalating issue of cable theft.

“The most recent power outage in Moregloed was a result of copper cable theft.”

He said to address the problematic issue of cable theft, the metro has made an unwavering commitment to actively engage in comprehensive efforts aimed at mitigating power outages resulting from incidents of theft and vandalism.

“The metro is actively working to address power outages caused by theft and vandalism. Resources are being deployed to prevent prolonged interruptions,” he said.

He said the metro has involved law enforcement authorities to keep guard on the areas targeted for cable theft.

“We have engaged TMPD to patrol and monitor areas that are frequently targeted for infrastructure theft and vandalism.”

He further informed residents to note that communications with affected customers are facilitated through the respective ward councillors.

Ward 84 councillor Anru Meyer expressed concern over cable theft and vandalism, and said it gives thieves access to darker neighbourhoods.

He said more visibility of authorities is a vital necessity, especially during the peak hours for crime.

“More visibility of the TMPD Crime Prevention Unit is a great need, especially during the early mornings and midnight.

“This will relieve and alleviate vandalism as well as crime on copper cables,” he said.

He further said in the longer term, the metro should consider replacing the copper cables with aluminium ones.

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