Wilgeheuwel power outages under control

It seems as if Wilgeheuwel can let out a sigh of relief after the many power outages in this area that has left residents with their hands in the air recently, has come to an end.

Tienie Venter, a resident, said the problem has been improving as there are guards who patrol the area where cables are stolen. In a previous article, Venter said to Roodepoort Northsider that they dig up 80 to 100 metres of cables at a time in the Greenbelt area. The stolen cables cost City Power millions of Rands annually as new cables are stolen almost immediately after replacement.

City Power spokesperson,Yumna Sheik, said previously that City Power has security in place as they are aware of the cable theft problem. “We are planning to relocate the power lines and do overhead lines,” said Sheik.

Hloni Motloung of City Power said that they currently have response vehicles that conduct security operations in cable theft hotspots. “Joint operations are also conducted between City Power, the South African Police Service (SAPS), Joburg Metro Police Department (JMPD), Eskom and the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa to investigate scrap metal dealers in known hotspots to turn off illegal connections,” said Motloung.

He added that it, however, is difficult to prevent every incident without help from the affected community. “Trolley pushers, suspicious vehicles and suspicious activity should be reported to City Power’s control room,” concluded Motloung.

Details: City Power control room, 011 490 7911.

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