Uvongo residents left powerless after cable theft
The heist was clearly well orchestrated.
A recent spate of cable theft has plunged the Uvongo area into darkness.
Thieves dug, cut and removed kilometres of Eskom cable along Uvongo Drive last Thursday.
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Residents feel as if they have hit a dead-end, with calls for help to Eskom and the police going unheeded and the theft continuing.
Now members of the Uvongo Community Policing Forum (CPF) are trying their best to curb the crime themselves.
CPF member Andre Leach said the Uvongo area had been targeted by cable thieves for the past three months.
“Huge trenches have been dug and several metres of street light cable and heavy duty cable supplying electricity to many homes have been removed. As a community forum we are trying our level best to stop cable theft but Eskom is not coming to the party.
“Yes, the repairs are done quickly, but the very next day the cables are again removed.”
Another resident said more needs to be done to stop this crime.
“There have been several thefts and I believe no case has been opened by Eskom. This means no arrests will be made, the crime will continue and we, as ratepayers, will bear the brunt,” he said.
On Tuesday this week, Gustav de Nysschen, another CPF member, pointed out a number of stripped Eskom cables lying in an open field near the Skyline Nature Reserve.
“The thieves were after the copper and were probably disturbed when the CPF and Maser Security started patrolling the area.
“This is a heist clearly well orchestrated by the criminals and electricians who know the area only too well.”
Margate police spokesman, Captain Gerald Mfeka, said the recovered cables had been returned to Eskom.
“On Tuesday this week Margate police confiscated Eskom cables at Masinenge informal settlement. These were also returned to Eskom. No case has been opened.”
Eskom was contacted for comment but none was received at the time of going to print.
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