Africa-Press – South-Africa. Electricity vandalism continues to plague the City of Cape Town, with more than 350 electricity infrastructure incidents recorded in the first three months of this year.
City of Cape Town spokesperson Luthando Tyhalibongo said theft had led to the damage of critical infrastructure, including streetlights.
Ravensmead and the Mowbray district were identified as hotspots.
By the end of March, 120 incidents of vandalism and theft were recorded in the Mowbray district.
Tyhalibongo said that R40 million was allocated to help fight vandalism of energy infrastructure and support law enforcement deployment, enhancing security efforts and increased monitoring.
However, the money allocated to fix damaged infrastructure was not included in the budget and could cost the municipality millions.
In the last financial year, the municipality spent R56 million to repair vandalised infrastructure and damage caused by illegal connections.
Meanwhile, city officials have been robbed when repairing electricity infrastructure.
Tyhalibongo said:
He added that law enforcement and SAPS supported these officials when they worked in hotspot areas.
“The City will continue to monitor all hotspots, and we thank residents for their ongoing support and for reporting incidents to the City and SAPS,” Tyhalibongo added.
Citizens are encouraged to provide information that can lead to an arrest or the confiscation of stolen or illegal goods.
For More News And Analysis About South-Africa Follow Africa-Press
