Cable theft occurs frequently in the Langeberg municipal area, and it severely affects business operations and the provision of essential services to industries and various communities. The theft of copper cables recently severely affected residents of Ashton and Zolani. This caused major faults in the electrical supply line and left residents without electricity for days.
The power outage caused various other aspects of service delivery to be affected: . The operations of the Ashton municipal offices, including the 24/7 Customer Call Centre. While generators were available the cost of running the generators for extended periods adds up. . Because of an electrical surge, IT hardware was damaged and back-up batteries ran out because of the abnormal power outage. The problem affected the municipality’s internet and inter-branch connections. . Without power supply, the pump station at the Ashton reservoir could not operate. This affected reservoir levels and ultimately affected the water supply to some areas in Ashton. . Throughout this, electricians worked around the clock. Some challenges the team experienced, was to determine exactly where a line is faulty. Visual inspections and tests need to be performed before repairs can be done.
Another major challenge is that, while the teams are repairing one fault, cable thieves continue to target other areas and set the restoration of power back even further.
The municipality needs your help.
Eskom urges all scrap-metal dealers, foundries and smelters to not buy stolen cables.
Usually, when work is being done on electrical infrastructure, a municipal vehicle with a ladder would be in the proximity. If that is not the case, such activities must be regarded as suspicion.
Everyone in the communities has the responsibility to report acts of cable theft or vandalism, and is urged to report any suspicious activity. To curb cable theft, the municipality relies heavily on the tip offs from the public.
Be especially vigilant during load shedding when thieves can target any electrical infrastructure. House connection cables can be cut and stolen, leaving residents inconvenienced and without power. Always treat any open or exposed electrical cables and wires as being live and stay clear from it.
Report any damage to electrical infrastructure (open cables and wires) to the municipality immediately. Residents are also urged to report suspicious activities to any of the following numbers: . Eskom Crime Line: 0800 11 27 22 . South African Police Service (SAPS): 1011 or 10177 . Crime Stop Hotline: 085 00 10111 . Langeberg Call Centre: 0860 88 11 11
