Gauteng govt calls on police to help tackle cable theft

The Gauteng government has called law enforcement officers to work with Johannesburg’s city power to fight cable theft.

The power utility says it spends about R1 billion annually on replacing its vandalised infrastructure.

It says it’s concerned about the way law enforcement officers are handling the escalating incidents of cable theft.

The provincial Community Safety Department’s spokesperson, Ofentse Morwane says, “We have noted with concern the ongoing challenges related to cable theft and the resurfacing of people who were previously arrested. However, what is very crucial is that all the role players, that is, law enforcement agencies, including city power, would continue working together to ensure that communities are protected from the impact of infrastructure-related crimes.”

Morwane adds: “We continue to deploy more resources on the ground, such as the Gauteng wardens, who should work closely with the police and metro police department to safeguard essential infrastructure, including power stations and telecommunications stations, including traffic lights, as they are mostly prone to cable theft. The current installation of CCTV cameras at some of the crime hotspots.”