Two suspects were arrested in the early hours of this morning for possession of copper cables stolen from one of City’s Power’s tunnel in the Johannesburg inner city.
The suspects are expected to appear in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court on Monday.
It is alleged that two Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JPMD) were patrolling the area when they spotted suspected activity and an open tunnel on the corners of Pritchard and Joubert Streets in the CBD. The officers then contacted the City’s Group forensic and Investigation Service Department (GFIS) to assist with operation.
Upon investigation the team found a large number of copper cable which were already cut and ready to be transported. The team also established that the copper cables belong to Telkom and not City Power.
Cable theft and vandalism costs the City over R20-million in a financial year. This is worrying because that is money that could be used to stabilize the network and improve our services to the people of the City of Johannesburg.
The expansive footprint of the utility’s network makes it very difficult to safeguard all the installations and the City relies on the co-operation of the communities we serve to report incidents of theft and vandalism of the electricity infrastructure so that that perpetrators can be brought to book.
The criminals who steal our copper cable sabotage our economy and our City, leaving businesses and homes in the dark, costing ratepayers a fortune and robbing resources from service delivery. It is estimated that 45% of the power outages in the City are caused by cable theft.
The City has faith that the SAPS and other law enforcement agencies will ensure that the perpetrators faces the full might of the law. It is time to send a clear message that crime has no place within our city.
In another effort to combat cable theft, City Power has also initiated a process of replacing copper conductor cables with aluminum conductor cables. Criminals target copper cables by digging it up to sell to scrap metal dealers, but aluminum has little to no street value.
We would like to encourage the community to be vigilant and always report any suspicious activity or construction vehicles working around City Power infrastructure to the police, neighbourhood security or to City Power Controll Room on the following number 011 490 7900/11/ or toll-free number 0800 003251. Communities can also report suspicious activities to the City’s anti-fraud and corruption hotline 0800 002 587 or email: whistle@joburg.org.za or visit the GFIS offices situated at 48 Ameshoff Street, Braamfontein.
End.
Media enquiries:
Lucky Sindane
Director: Strategic Stakeholder Management
Group Forensic and Investigation Services
Cell: 065 865 0696
Email: LuckySi@joburg.org.za
Issued by the City of Johannesburg
For all media queries, send an email to mediaqueries@joburg.org.za
