Vandals pull plug on street lights
The City has brought in extra technicians to fix vandalised street lights in Mitchell’s Plain.
Last week’s Wolfgat Sub-council meeting heard that criminals were climbing street light poles to steal bulbs, breaking substations, digging trenches to steal cables and extorting “protection” payments from technicians sent to repair the damage.
City electricity services official Ismail Green asked ward councillors to give him a list of neighbourhood watch members who could help to protect repair teams.
“I will inform the councillors when we are in their areas,” he said, adding that work was due to start on Monday February 26.
In a statement earlier this month, mayoral committee member for energy Beverley van Reenen said the Mitchell’s Plain district - which includes Lotus River, Grassy Park and Philippi - was among the hardest hit for vandalism to electricity infrastructure and illegal connections.
The City’s increased efforts to protect its electrical infrastructure seemed to have had little impact in the district, she said.
“While we have seen success in some hot spot areas, many other regions such Mitchell’s Plain have seen more incidents taking place. We are once again calling on the community to be our eyes and ears and to report to the City and SAPS.”
Ward 76 councillor Avron Plaatjies said the vandalism happened daily in his ward, and the municipality was working “flat out” to replace and fix broken infrastructure.
“I am happy that extra teams are coming out and that long outstanding C3 notifications will be prioritised,” he said.
But Ward 92 councillor Norman Adonis said street lights were no sooner fixed than they were vandalised again.
“I have video footage of a person sliding up a pole and breaking street lights. In Erica Street, lights were fixed that same night the lights were off. For the last four weeks, the electricity department has been busy. This only to be switched off hours or days later.”
He blamed the community for failing to report the culprits to the authorities.
“The community knows who the gangsters are, the people vandalising and stealing, but nobody wants to come forward and say it is that person.
“We need to be open and honest to say we need to stop blaming the line department. Blame our community. It is the community that switches off the street lights.”
Duwayne Jacobs, a proportional representation councillor for the National Coloured Congress rebuked Mr Adonis, saying it was unfair of him to blame the whole community for the actions of “certain people”.
Sub-council chairman Solomon Philander said they were glad to hear that extra electricity contractors would be deployed.
Suspicious activities at or near electricity infrastructure can be reported to SAPS, City law enforcement agencies or the City’s fraud hotline at 080 011 0077.
