Brewery truck topples electricity poles in eMbalenhle
Ward 12 community grabs suspected cable thief as power outages continue.
Residents of Ward 12 in the Chris Hani section of eMbalenhle apprehended a young man on July 13 whom they suspect of stealing electricity cables.
The community took the suspect to the Govan Mbeki Municipality technical yard, demanding that the municipality open a criminal case against him.
Residents told Ridge Times they have been plagued by frequent cable theft, leaving households without electricity for extended periods.
According to community members, they were able to identify the suspect and several of his alleged accomplices using surveillance footage obtained from a local business. When residents confronted the group, the other suspects reportedly fled.
The apprehended suspect allegedly led residents to a shack where stolen cables were stored before being sold to scrap metal businesses.
Some of the suspected stolen cables were recovered from the shack.
Community members tied the suspect with some of the recovered cables before taking him to the municipal technical yard, where they called on the municipality to lay charges against him.
Govan Mbeki Municipality law enforcement officers later arrived at the scene and escorted the suspect to the eMbalenhle Police Station, where he was handed over to the South African Police Service.
Police will determine whether criminal charges will be laid following their investigation. Residents said their challenges had been worsened by an incident three weeks earlier in which a brewery truck allegedly damaged electricity infrastructure in the area.
According to residents, the truck caught high-voltage power lines supplying electricity to households, damaging electricity poles and leaving the area without power.
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They believe criminals have taken advantage of the prolonged outage to steal electricity cables.
Community member Sonto Nzima said the community has been without electricity for nearly two weeks following the damage to the network.
“Cable theft has also become a growing problem in eMbalenhle and it affects the entire township.
“In our area, however, the situation has been made worse by the recent damage to the electricity infrastructure and supply line.
“I have to make a fire on the ground every day to cook for my grandchildren, and firewood is expensive, especially during winter.
“We have electricity units loaded on our meter, but we cannot use them because there is no power supply. Even if the power is restored, our cable has been stolen,” said Nzima.
Despite their frustrations, Nzima said the community appreciates the municipality’s efforts to repair the electricity network damaged by the private company’s vehicle and hopes power will be restored soon.
The municipality has since commended residents for their vigilance in apprehending the suspect.
Donald Green, the municipal media liaison and content developer, said a case of theft of municipal property has been opened at the eMbalenhle Police Station and the matter is now under police investigation.
“The municipality thanks the community for working together to protect public infrastructure.
“Cable theft causes unnecessary power interruptions, damages essential infrastructure and places additional financial strain on the municipality and its residents. We encourage all communities to remain vigilant and continue reporting suspicious activities to the police or the municipality.
“By working together, we can protect public infrastructure and ensure the reliable delivery of essential services,” said Green.
