The Energy Directorate of the City of Cape Town has successfully implemented a plan to address outstanding streetlight repairs in the Mitchells Plain area. Despite facing high service requests, load-shedding, and weather-related issues, the City has made steady progress.
Increase in Electricity Infrastructure Repair Service Requests Due to Vandalism and Theft
However, the City is experiencing increased electricity infrastructure repair service requests due to vandalism and theft during Eskom’s load-shedding. The City has recorded over 350 electricity infrastructure vandalism incidents across the metro during the first quarter of the year, with Mitchells Plain being the worst affected district. As a result, the City’s Electricity maintenance teams are working to address over 500 service requests, prioritizing all extended outage-related area faults caused by load-shedding.
City’s Efforts to Combat Vandalism of Critical Electricity Infrastructure
The City is already carrying out an education and awareness drive and several initiatives to curb vandalism of critical electricity infrastructure. However, the City encourages residents to join the fight against destruction in their communities. The City also monitors the metro’s hotspots and has boots on the ground to fight cable theft, vandalism, and illegal connections.
Call for Community Involvement
The Mayco Member for Energy, Councillor Beverley Van Reenen, suggests that communities should be vigilant and report any damage to municipal electrical infrastructure to the South African Police Service and the City. Residents can notify damage to municipal electrical infrastructure via SMS by texting 31220 or emailing power@capetown.gov.za. Anonymous tip-offs are also welcomed, and residents can receive a reward of R5,000 if tip-offs lead to arrests.
City’s Commitment and Allocation of Resources
The City has allocated R40 million to support law enforcement deployment, enhance security at crucial points, and increase monitoring. In conclusion, the City is progressing in addressing the vandalism of critical electricity infrastructure in the Mitchells Plain area. However, communities must join hands with the City to fight against destruction and report any suspicious activities to the authorities. The City is determined to deal with this issue and ensure that residents have a reliable electricity supply even during winter.
