Cable theft leaves suburb dark
For now, the residents remain in the dark, waiting for a resolution as City Power continues its battle against cable theft and vandalism.
Residents in Platboom and Groendoring avenues have been without electricity since the early hours of Monday, February 24, after a mini-substation (MSS) was vandalised and cables were stolen, leading to an explosion.
The incident, which took place during load-shedding, is the latest in a surge of infrastructure vandalism cases plaguing the city. According to a crime report from CSS Security, an alarm was triggered at 02:17, prompting an area response vehicle to be dispatched. As the response officer arrived, a man – who had been hiding behind a tree near the substation – suddenly fled, holding what appeared to be a shiny object.
The officer called for backup and searched the area, eventually discovering that the man had been stripping parts from the MSS. Though the man managed to escape, he left behind a bag filled with tools, bolts, and nuts stripped from the substation. Some nearby residents reported hearing unusual noises around the time load-shedding started. CSS contacted City Power Security, which dispatched its security provider, Fidelity, to assess the situation.
Isaac Mangena, general manager of City Power’s Department of Public Relations and Communication, confirmed that the Roodepoort Service Delivery Centre (SDC) is actively working on restoring power but has faced challenges.
He stated that the SDC is in the process of sourcing a new one to replace the vandalised MSS.
City Power has revealed that they have seen a surge in cable theft and infrastructure vandalism, with the Roodepoort SDC experiencing such incidents almost daily.
“City Power has implemented a multi-faceted strategy to combat cable theft and vandalism, which includes collaboration with communities through our Community Partnership Programme,” Mangena explained.
“Additionally, we work closely with law enforcement agencies under the police’s Essential Infrastructure Task Teams, raid scrap metal dealers, deploy armed response security teams to patrol network infrastructure, and make arrests when necessary.”
Mangena mentions that replacing and installing a new MSS is expected to cost about R900 000, adding to the millions City Power loses annually due to infrastructure damage. A generator was deployed to provide temporary relief, but it has yet to be switched on. Mangena explained that generator deployment depends on the scale of the outage.
“If a mini-substation is down and only serves a street or two, one generator may be sufficient. However, if an industrial area or an entire suburb is impacted, we may not be able to assist with a generator because a single generator would not have the capacity to support all the affected customers,” he said.
City Power is working on securing all its MSS to prevent further vandalism.
Residents are urged to report any incidents or suspicious activities by contacting City Power Security Risk Management at 011 490 7900/7911 or sending a WhatsApp message to 083 579 4497.
“With the support of the community, we can protect our electrical infrastructure and ensure a reliable power supply for all.”
