'Protect your power'

The City of Cape Town is encouraging residents to work with them in guarding municipal infrastructure against theft and vandalism, including izinyokanyoka (electric illegal connection).

The City launched the next phase of its Let’s ACT: Protect Your Power campaign on Tuesday May 27 in Bhunga Road, Langa.

The campaign started in May last year amid crisis levels of theft, vandalism and illegal connections.

Billboards were being rolled out, among other visible media, along major routes across the metro showing residents how to report suspicious activity. 

Mayoral committee member for energy, Xanthea Limberg, accompanied by councillors, said theft and vandalism had left hundreds of thousands of households in Langa and Bonteheuwel and other areas in the dark.

However, she said Mitchell's Plain and Wynberg districts were the hardest hit.

She said in Langa and Bonteheuwel alone, the City energy directive has spent R62 million from July last until April of this year on replacing, repairing and maintaining infrastructure.

In Mitchell's Plain and Wynberg districts, R8.4 million was spent on theft and vandalism-related incidents followed by the Goodhood and Gugulethu districts with just over R5 million going towards expenditure for theft and vandalism.

Ms Limberg said vandalism of municipal infrastructure compromises the council’s commitment to provide quality services to the community.

“They should be our eyes to report vandalism and theft and illegal connections. They can do so anonymously. Today’s campaign is about publicising our message to the residents to be part of the solution. They should help us protect their power. We can only do that as a collective. So we have these boards particularly along the main roads and also in our hotspots where there is an increased level of vandalism and theft. We hope this will further encourage residents to play a role,” she said.

Democratic Alliance PR councillor in Langa, Zimkhitha Sulelo said the municipality should use signage that everyone can see and also use indigenous languages as some people cannot read English in her area.

She said the municipality should also use WhatsApp to inform residents about crime and vandalism.

“In some areas people know who causes these challenges but they are scared to come forward. Residents need the electricity and theft and vandalism affect them badly too. I don't think that people will be able to understand the message and the campaign that we are doing now. I will take it upon myself to make sure that the neighbourhood watches have this information and are able to report crime. People who live in iNtersite want to intervene but they are also not able to report their neighbours, they are scared. There is a lot of criminality there. So it is nice to have a WhatsApp contact. And maybe we must also do this campaign in isiXhosa. But I am going to make sure that people in Langa comply and understand this campaign,” she said.

Councillor Angus Mackenzie said it was important for the public to do everything in their power to protect their electricity infrastructure.

He called on residents to play a big part to ensure that no one vandalises cables. He said some of these acts of vandalism don't happen overnight but take days.

"We will bring our part and the community should bring theirs to make sure that we protect our power,” he said.