The City of Cape Town says extreme and unprecedented levels of loadshedding-related vandalism as well as damage to infrastructure have placed a major strain on the City’s energy teams.
Also read: City’s efforts combat street light vandalism and illegal connections
The most affected areas include the large Area South, including Mitchells Plain, Gugulethu, Wynberg and Philippi.
These are the statistics for fault requests between January 2023 and 13 February 2024:
- Mitchells Plain – metro vandalism hotspot
10 291 fault requests – 31% of these pertain to repeated vandalised infrastructure like poles and theft - Gugulethu
7 402 fault requests – 25% pertain to repeated vandalised infrastructure and theft - Wynberg
8 096 fault requests – 10% pertains to repeated vandalised infrastructure and theft - Muizenberg
4 154 fault requests – 15% pertains to repeated vandalised infrastructure and theft
‘Our energy teams are operating under abnormal circumstances,’ says Mayoral Committee Member for Energy Councillor Beverley van Reenen.
‘The extreme impact of load-shedding on our power infrastructure (that was not designed for load-shedding) as well as the contribution of load-shedding to the increase of theft and vandalism, have led to extremely negative impacts and backlogs of service requests, especially single streetlight outages.’
Unleash your inner explorer with these incredible car deals, all priced under R100 000. Find car listings here.
‘Many innovative interventions are being investigated, while operational changes are underway to enhance service delivery and turnaround times where required and also to eradicate backlogs as fast as possible.’
‘At the heart of this lies the unprecedented impact of load-shedding-driven vandalism and the impact on maintenance capabilities, costs and human resources.’
‘If we stand together as a City, with our communities, we can bring the change that will help to protect our community infrastructure and enhance service delivery.’
Due to these challenges, the City will roll out new interventions to improve energy services.
These include:
- Private security patrols
- Dedicated Law Enforcement Unit for Energy
- Alternative lighting solutions for un-electrifiable communities
- Capacitating neighbourhood watch groups
- Hi-Tech solutions are under investigation
- Opening satellite equipment stores for faster replacement of infrastructure
- Appointing new public lighting contractors
- Operational changes to the escalation of requests
- Appointment of more artisans
Residents should report all suspicious activities at or near electricity infrastructure to the City’s law enforcement agencies, the City’s Fraud Hotline on 0800 1100 77 or the SAPS.
Cape {town} Etc discount: Looking for things to do in the city at half the price? Let these amazing offers inspire you. Get them here.
Also read:
Picture: City of Cape Town / Facebook