Watch: Attempted electricity theft in Wilro Park
CCTV footage of attempted electricity theft at mini-substation
A resident from Wilro Park recently caught two men tampering with the mini-substation in front of his house on his CCTV camera.
The CCTV footage was posted to a Facebook group by Jan Moolman. The footage shows two males casually walking up to the mini-substation in the early hours of the morning of 17 November. It is not clear exactly what they were doing at the substation. Was their intention to take the cables or make an illegal connection?
According to Yumna Sheik, the spokesperson for City Power, illegal connections are not only dangerous, they place undue pressure on the electricity supply grid, and that leads to power outages. They also constitute a significant revenue loss for City Power and the City of Johannesburg.
“Electricity theft is an offence which compromises the stability of our network and affects service delivery to all our customers. City Power cannot condone this hazard in the community,” said Sheik.
City Power, in an attempt to prevent electricity theft and loss of revenue, is installing prepaid meters with vandal-proof boxes to avoid tampering. Customers will however still be able to use the user interface gadget to load credit into the meter. City Power recognises that some households cannot afford to pay for electricity use, but is resolute that illegal connections cannot be tolerated.
Sheik urges residents to report illegal connections and any other suspicious activities immediately. “Citizens are encouraged not to approach suspects because they could be armed and dangerous. Instead, community members are urged to monitor suspicious individuals and vehicles in the neighbourhood, i.e. vehicle registrations, number of people, and a description of their clothing to assist authorities in follow-up action.
All suspicious activity must be reported to City Power’s call centre or control room, which operates 24 hours a day, on the following numbers: (011) 490 7911/7900/7553, or on the toll-free number 0800 0025 87. Reports can be made anonymously,” she added.
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