The rise in cable theft in the Groenkloof and UNISA area of the Tshwane Metro can no longer be tolerated.
Seeing as this is a common problem in Tshwane, the Metro needs to shoulder the responsibility of protecting critical infrastructure – which it is currently failing to do.
Businesses and households frequently affected by power outages have to incur extra costs to acquire generators to meet their daily electricity needs. As a preventive and reactive measure, the Groenkloof Residents’ Association installed additional security cameras along the UNISA boundary fence where cables are frequently stolen.
The most recent incident in Groenkloof occurred on Sunday when a section of a power cable along Nelson Mandela Drive was stolen. Consequently, residents in the area were once again left stranded without electricity for days on end.
The Tshwane Cable Theft Unit, Metro Police and a local security company immediately began searching for the offenders. Upon their arrival at the scene, the thieves fled towards a wooded area and remain at large.
The Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) requested the head of the Electricity Department, Frans Diale, to remove invasive plants along Nelson Mandela Drive and Elandspoort Drive in Groenkloof. The dense vegetation provides an ideal hiding place for cable thieves.
The party also called on the Metro Police and the Cable Theft Unit to intensify their efforts to apprehend the thieves.
Residents should not have to get by without electricity for several days a month because of infrastructure damage. Tax money should be used to protect and upgrade infrastructure, not to constantly replace it.
