CITY Power has welcomed the arrest of seven people suspected of cable theft in different areas across the city over the weekend.
According to City Power spokesman Isaac Mangena, four of the suspects were arrested by the SAPS Essential Infrastructure Task Team around the Nasrec area after they were found digging up cables.
Mangena said two suspects were pulled out from a tunnel along Christian De Wet and Claredom streets by the local security and community members also with cables that were cut and stolen. This was the reason for some outages in the area.
“Another suspect was arrested in Kya Sands for vandalising our transformer after he was found by the SAPS connecting the nearby informal settlement illegally. All these suspects were booked in and charges relating to the damage to/or theft of essential infrastructure were preferred,” he said.
Mangena said that during the same period, City Power recorded about 22 incidents of cable theft and vandalism in different areas since Thursday, 15 December.
“We commend the work done by the SAPS, CPFs, private security in assisting us curb the scourge of theft and vandalism. Most of the incidents happened during loadshedding where risks of injuries or even death are not there,” he said.
Mangena called on residents to continue reporting any suspicious activities around the electricity infrastructure by sending a WhatsApp message to 083 579 4497.
