Ward 82 councillor Siobhan Muller is calling on the Tshwane metro to urgently clear and maintain an overgrown green belt near the N1 highway, warning that the neglected area has become a hotspot for cable theft, break-ins, and illegal activity.

Her comments follow the recent arrest of a suspected copper thief along Meiring Naudé Drive near the N1, where stolen Tshwane metro and Sanral infrastructure was recovered during a joint operation involving CSI Security units and Garsfontein SAPS.

Muller said ongoing power outages remain one of the biggest frustrations for residents in her ward, with infrastructure theft continuing to place pressure on already strained service delivery.

“At the moment, power outages are a severe challenge,” she said.

Muller said concerns around cable theft in the area started last year, when residents experienced prolonged outages after infrastructure along the N1 was targeted.

Although cable theft in the ward has recently appeared to quiet down, Muller said she remains concerned about criminal activity linked to the overgrown open space running alongside the highway.

“We know there are people living in there. We know that they’re busy with cable theft. But the city is not cutting the grass,” she said.

Muller argued that clearing the dense vegetation and securing vulnerable infrastructure points would be more effective than deploying additional security guards.

“We can’t put people on the side of the N1 to protect those cables day and night,” she said.

“What they do need to do, and we’ve just again asked them, is cut that green belt. We asked for this in a petition in February 2025, and they still are not keeping it up.”

According to Muller, the overgrown vegetation provides cover for criminal activity and allows suspects to evade detection.

“The people are getting break-ins in their houses and they know the suspects run back into that open space,” she said.

She added that the area has been cleared only once in more than a year, despite repeated requests from residents and community leaders.

She also raised concerns about unsecured infrastructure access points in the area, including a tunnel system accessed through a manhole near the N1 corridor.

“There’s a manhole that goes down into a tunnel. If they just secured that entrance and put a metal cage across it, they could make it safe,” she said.

Muller said the metro should prioritise maintenance and environmental management rather than relying on what she described as ‘ineffective security deployments’.

“If the city just cut the grass in the open spaces so that you can’t hide in it and you can’t live in it and strip cables in it, they wouldn’t have to deploy security guards,” she said.

A suspected copper thief was recently arrested near the same area.

According to CSI operations manager Gerhard Rossouw, the suspect was apprehended after officers responded to reports of suspicious activity near Meiring Naudé Drive.

“Upon arrival, one male suspect was observed actively damaging and interfering with critical City of Tshwane infrastructure alongside the N1 highway,” Rossouw said.

He said the suspect was found in possession of stolen copper cables and equipment belonging to both the Tshwane metro and Sanral.

The suspect was detained and handed over to Garsfontein SAPS for further investigation.

Rossouw said the operation demonstrated the value of proactive patrols and co-operation between private security teams and law enforcement agencies.

“This successful operation highlights the effectiveness of proactive patrols, strong communication between guarding and reaction units, and rapid response to community-reported incidents,” he said.

ALSO READ: Hands-on approach wins Ward 98 residents’ trust

Do you have more information about the story?

Please send us an email to bennittb@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.

For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites: Rekord East

For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram or TikTok or WhatsApp Channel