Cable theft in and around Port Alfred is costing around R9 000 a day. This shocking figure was revealed in an exclusive interview with Ndlambe Municipality’s infrastructure director Dr Noluthando Vithi this week.
While every effort has been made to secure infrastructure in the area, there simply aren’t enough resources to police every possible target and Ndlambe Municipality has appealed to the community to step up and report suspicious activity.
“That cost (R9 000 a day) is only the cost of replacing the cable,” Vithi said. “That is not counting the loss of revenue to businesses, and the knock-on effect that lack of power has on essential public infrastructure.”
Of particular concern, Vithi said, were the pump stations.
“Both our water and sewage pumps are already inoperational during loadshedding,” Vithi said. “Then, add the periods when there is no power because of cable theft.”
Some CBD businesses had been without power for seven or eight hours at a time because of cable theft, Vithi said, making it very difficult for them to operate sustainably.
There was also huge inconvenience and expense to residents.
“Fridges don’t work and food spoils, and that can be very expensive for a family or a small business,” Vithi said.
Currently there were 10 cases of cable theft and vandalism reported to the police in Port Alfred, Vithi said. “And that is not even counting damage to street lights and high mast lighting.
During the June 16 long weekend, cables at THornhill had been stolen and replaced twice.
“This has become a pandemic,” said Vithi, who laid the blame at the door of unscrupulous and illegal scrap merchants.
“Someone somewhere is giving these criminals money for stolen electrical cables,” Vithi said. “What does that say about their attitude to the community?”
The high-voltage electrical cable installed by Eskom or the municipality was easily distinguished from the type installed by contractors in houses, Vithi said. “Any dealer who sees that type of cable must immediately know that it couldn’t possibly have been obtained from a property being demolished or refurbished.”
Money redirected to restore stolen cable was money that could have been used on other infrastructure, Vithi said. “This is not the municipality’s wound alone,” she said. “Other services are suffering as a result and t is the community that bears the brunt.”
Loadshedding has directly caused an increase in cable and other infrastructure theft and vandalism.
“They know when there will be loadsherdding and it’s during those two ghours, usually under cover of darkness, that they hit,” Vithi said.
Infrastructure damage is now reported to SAPS under the Criminal Matters Amendment Act (18 of 2015). Prosecutions under this act is serious and carries restrictions when it comes to granting bail, as well as minimum sentencing requirements.
Vithi said buy-in from communities was essential when it came to protecting infrastructure.
“If you hear a noise outside, if your dog is barking, either go and look or call the police or your security company,” she said. “If you see suspicious behavior, report it to the police.”
Vithi said the municipality is in the process of establishing a community forum to address infrastructure theft and vandalism.
“We are in the process of establishing a forum where all stakeholders work on solving this problem together,” Vithi said. “Residents, the police, security companies, scrapyard owners.
“We have to take this problem by the horns.”
