The power supply to residents and businesses is often cut these days because of cable theft. Criminals steal electricity cables from the power grid, which causes the system to crash. This leads to major inconvenience, lengthy periods with no electricity and can lead to fatalities.
Not only does cable theft cause enormous inconvenience, but it costs the City of Johannesburg millions, which impacts its budgets for efficient service delivery. Cable theft and tampering with infrastructure have cost the City approximately R15 million in the last financial year in direct losses.
Report cable theft
Please report all instances of cable theft. Also be on the lookout for suspicious construction vehicles working on the electrical network, whether marked or unmarked, and report them. Please also report trolley pushers if you suspect them of cable theft.
You can call the City Power Control Room at the following numbers, 24 hours a day:
- 011 490 7911
- 011 490 7900
- 011 490 7553
- Or on our toll free number: 0800 003 251
You can remain totally anonymous, but your tip-off may lead to arrest and conviction, ensuring that another criminal is removed from the streets.
The more residents report cable theft incidents, the more City Power becomes aware of growing trends in communities where these incidents take place and can target those areas to try and combat these crimes.
Fighting back
The City is determined to fight the scourge of cable theft and has a number of interventions in place. These include:
- A response vehicle which patrols high-risk areas based on theft and vandalism statistics.
- Joint operations with the South African Police Services (SAPS) and Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) on scrap metal dealers, because that is where cable thieves sell stolen cables.
- Installing Aerial Bundle Conductor (ABC) cables across the city to prevent cables being stolen. ABC cable is made of aluminium and is also not easy to cut as it has a steel core.
- Replacing lattice pylons with monopoles.
- Applying concrete on surfaces where cables have been laid, making it difficult to dig up the cables.
- Engaging private security service providers and SAPS in hot-spot areas to focus not only on house-breaking and robbery, but also on theft and vandalism of electrical infrastructure, and
- Conducting educational awareness in the communities affected by cable theft.
These interventions are proving successful and each year sees a number of criminal charges preferred against criminals.
Please help us by keeping your eyes and ears open. Help us to keep the power on.
For anonymous reporting, please call 0800 002 587 or go to their website.
