The City Of Joburg MMC for Environment and Infrastructure Services Department, Michael Sun has expressed his dissatisfaction towards cable theft and infrastructure vandalism amid the plight of cable and Jojo tank theft and vandalism in the city.

MMC Michael Sun, has called on Joburg communities to play a more active role in 2023. This is as critical basic services infrastructure remains under siege from vandals and thieves. In a media statement, the MMC expressed his dissatisfaction, adding that such infrastructure issues and vandalism are killing service delivery across the country.  

 

Cable Theft is an issue that has continued at alarmingly high levels during the festive season, especially after the incidents of flooding at the beginning of December last year. As a result of this, City Power has continued to fight widespread cable theft in Roodepoort and surrounding areas.

With over seventeen instances of cable theft in this region last week alone, and over 200 Jojo tanks which were provided by Johannesburg Water, stolen or vandalised, Sun has called on communities to work with the municipality this year to put and end to what he has described as a “plague”. 

According to him, “It is very seldom that information about incidents of cable thieves and vandals or Jojo tanks disappearing or being damaged are being shared by the communities in which they occur”, adding that Joburgers should not sit back and watch City infrastructure be subject to theft or vandalism while criminals enrich themselves. 

 

Last year, EISD launched an infrastructure protection initiative to work alongside 

neighbourhood watches and other groups who had taken it upon themselves to help 

protect City Power’s electrical grid.

“Although our effort with City Power has helped to put 147 cable thieves behind bars in just the last 6 months of 2022 – almost double the amount compared to the previous twelve-month period, cable theft is still far too high" - Sun

Sun expressed that the department plans to increase their efforts this year and ensure that City Power works alongside law enforcement and communities, to end what has become daily incidents of cable theft. 

 

Currently, City Power has been tasked with improving the emergency plan to deal with Cable Theft immediately, including adding over R100 million to its security budget. This whilst Joburg Water is redoing its approach to the deployment of Water Tankers. 

 

Joburg City residents have since been urged to report acts of cable and Jojo tank theft or vandalism, with the option of doing so anonymously if they prefer.