The Environment and Infrastructure Services Department (EISD) has warned Joburgers to immediately stop tampering with City Power infrastructure.
This comes after a disaster struck this week in Crosby, west of Johannesburg when a resident attempted to restore power to a tripped substation and was electrocuted in the process.
“Frustration is justified when faced with lengthy power outages due to failing infrastructure or cable theft, but it must never be the reason for individuals to gain access into City Power facilities and try to restore power themselves,” MMC for EISD Councillor Michael Sun said.
“It is highly dangerous and may cause more damage to the infrastructures and result in longer outages,” he said.
The Crosby substation in question tripped as a result of overloading from illegal connections to the Slovo Park informal settlement. Sun said City Power technical teams were “working around the clock to restore power to all communities experiencing outages due to technical faults, illegal connections and cable theft.”
“‘The entity is also working with JMPD to ensure that illegal connections are sustainably removed to prevent overloading on the grid.
“We are appealing for patience and for residents to work with City Power in arresting the power crisis Johannesburg is facing,” he said.
Sun said that the city’s residents should report outages immediately to City Power to allow teams to be dispatched as soon as possible.
“Moreover, when residents suspect or witness illegal connections or cable theft, they should report it immediately, too,” he said.
The city said operations to ensure cable thieves are not only arrested but face stiff jail sentences for stealing and destroying infrastructure is beginning to bear fruit.
This week, a cable thief was sentenced to 12 years in prison after being arrested for cable theft in September 2021.
“This was only possible through the determination and collaboration of local residents and the Community Policing Forum,” sergeant A Thela, City Power general manager of security said.
“City Power has several hot-lines and a WhatsApp number where residents can call the alarm on cable theft. Even if we have the smallest piece of evidence, we will be able to use this to put cable thieves behind bars where they belong,” he said.
City Power is also appealing for any information relating to the attempted theft of an entire substation’s infrastructure in Timber Street, Manufacta on Wednesday morning.
Thieves at the time could not make away with any loot but destroyed both transformer systems in the process, causing almost R1m in damages.
EISD appealed to anybody who has information that could be used in bringing these assailants to justice to contact City Power’s hot-lines.