By Doreen Mokgolo
- Thieves in Ekurhuleni bypass new AI cable tracking devices, stealing R15,000 worth of cables without getting caught.
- Residents call for stronger municipal action as theft disrupts electricity, affecting daily life and local businesses.
Cable thieves in Ekurhuleni have found a way to cheat the latest artificial intelligence security tracking devices that are meant to detect the movement of cables.
In the early hours of Wednesday morning another three eight metre electricity cables with a street value of R15,000 were stolen along Kgaswane Street in KwaThema.
The tracking devices fitted to the cables were found near the trenches that had been dug, and no movement of the cables was detected.
This has been the norm in the township; every month without fail a cable is stolen in the early hours of the morning.
In May last year the community was left in the dark for over a month when the Nkabinde substation was vandalised and then burned down.
A resident, Mzwakhe Zulu, said they are tired of the chronic cable theft in the same spot.
“At this point we suspect that employees of the metro are stealing the cables. They know they will be expected to work overtime to replace the stolen cables.
“We feel the municipality is failing us as we are informed that the cables are fitted with trackers, but these criminals can steal them without being caught.
“We are told that there are private security companies deployed to patrol the hotspots, but criminals can dig trenches of between five- and 10-metres deep to access the cables without being caught.”
He added that a lot needs to be done by the metro to protect electricity infrastructure without making empty promises.
Another resident, Nomthandazo Zitha, said cable theft affects the running of small businesses.
“We are urging government to do more to fight cable theft to protect the township economy,” she said.
In his response, Ekurhuleni spokesperson Zweli Dlamini said it is concerning that while the metro is still trying to rebuild the electricity infrastructure in the area, it continues to be vandalised.
“Though cable theft is a national crisis, as the metro we have identified hotspots that we are paying attention to.
“These criminals are even vandalising traffic and streetlights, which affects the flow of traffic and visibility at night.
“We are working with the EMPD and private security to monitor the movement of the cables, using artificial intelligence to track them, and those found in possession will face the might of the law,” he said.
Dlamini urged residents to safeguard infrastructure in the communities and report criminal activities to the police.
Pictured above: Construction workers fixing the vandalised cables.
Source: Supplied
