Municipality’s struggles with cable theft leaves residents in the dark
Mayor John Mpe said cable theft is more frequent during load-shedding and has led the municipality to substance abusers and foreign nationals involved.
POLOKWANE – The Polokwane Municipality says they are not coping with the high number of cable theft cases that occur on a daily basis.
As a result, the municipality says this leads to delayed restoration of power to affected areas.
“Due to the high number of incidences, the municipality struggles with manpower and materials required to restore power on time. The latest incidents left several customers without supply for an extended period in the City and Seshego,” municipal spokesperson Thipa Selala said.
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He added that while the municipality is attending to these cases, affected customers are urged to exercise patience as there are more households that need to be restored than manpower allows.
“Cable theft affects residents and businesses negatively as it results in them having no electricity supply for days and even weeks. Our community services are patrolling hotspots, but cannot be everywhere at the same time. In the meantime, all electrical wiring in affected areas should be considered to be live and to avoid injury, all appliances should be switched off to avoid damage when supply is restored,” Selala said.
In an interview with eNCA, the mayor John Mpe said the municipalty has already spent R9.8m for the replacement of cables.
“Our local economy has been affected as well as the livelihood of our residents,” he told Heidi Giokos.
Mpe said cable theft is more frequent during load-shedding and has led the municipality to substance abusers and foreign nationals involved. He added that it seems to be an organised crime syndicate and that more boots are needed on the ground to combat the problem.
“We are working with police on the matter. There needs to be a specialised unit in the Saps as this is a serious matter that affects our people,” he said.
The municipality has urged all to be vigilant and report suspicious activity at 015 290 2458, to the police’s 24-hour crime stop number at 08600 10111 or the Eskom crime lime at 0800 11 27 22.
