Roodepoort — City Power is staying on top of cable theft and deterring any potential criminals that may be lurking. On Friday September 3, City Power officials rushed to the scene in Roodepoort after receiving a tip-off about people working on their network. The suspects said they were from City Power but were unable to produce any documentation or ID to prove this. They were subsequently told not to leave the scene until their story could be confirmed.
“Because of the heightened security following the recent cable theft and the theft of a transformer in Fleurhof, we moved quickly to see what was happening here. These guys told us that they work as contractors for City Power but they don’t have the correct papers. So we are waiting for the depot to confirm what they are saying,” explained City Power communications officer, Isaac Mangena.
The confirmation came in the form of a phone call to Sergeant Thela, General Manager of security at City Power. “I immediately engaged with our internal personnel to establish whether the job was legit, and I was just told that they were doing legitimate work. I requested that they come on site and tell us why these guys don’t have ID cards, and I did not get a satisfactory answer.”
He added that as head of security, he was very concerned about the spate of cable theft and vandalism, “… because it is quite clear that we are really under attack and we have to have all hands on deck. Communities are urged to assist us in reporting these incidents.”
Disaster may have been averted but City Power is staying on top of theft and fraudulent behaviour because some of the suspects that were recently arrested produced fraudulent job cards.
According to City Power, a technician or contractor from their department need to produce an identity card with their picture, an ID verification number, expiry date, hologram and the contact numbers 011 490 7911, 011 490 7553 and 011 490 7900.
