The City of Johannesburg Executive Mayor, Councillor Jolidee Matongo has appealed to residents to assist with putting an end to cable theft after stumbling upon the aftermath of the crime at the Joburg Market in City Deep during the City’s ongoing Accelerated Service Delivery Programme

The weekly programme, which is designed to ensure that the City delivers on its service delivery commitments of the current financial year, was being rolled out in the Inner City, Malvern, City Deep as well as in the George Goch and Denver informal settlements.

It was during the Mayor and the Members of the Mayoral Committee’s oversight visit in the City Deep area that the leadership was alerted to a major cable theft crime scene in the area that greatly affected the business of South Africa’s biggest market for fresh fruit and vegetables, the Joburg Market.

Mayor Matongo described the crime as stumbling block for both the City and its residents as great efforts are being made to revive the local economy following the economic devastation by the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent lockdown regulations.

“It has been two days and people around the Joburg Market areas have also been without power. The Joburg Market, which is one of the City’s entities, has been largely affected - with R20 million-worth of stock now going to waste, and traders have not been able to make money,” said Mayor Matongo at the crime scene. He said: “This is a big value chain problem, hence we appeal to residents in the city to help us identify those people who are stealing our power cables to ensure that the issue of prolonged power outages that affect both businesses and residents is resolved.”

Mayor Matongo added: “We are looking at long-term solutions to curb the problem of cable theft, and these include contracting private security firms and increasing visibility and patrols by municipal police. However, community involvement is also key to help the City in dealing with the scourge of cable theft across all regions.”

Mayor Matongo and the City’s leadership were joined on the Accelerated Service Delivery Programme by City entities and departments that included Joburg Water, Pikitup, City Power, the Joburg Roads Agency, as well as Social Development and the Joburg Metro Police Department.

The teams have been in the areas of focus this week - moving from street to street to attend to urgent service delivery matters committed to in the current financial year and concerns reported by residents. They focused on patching of roads, repairing potholes, waste collection, removing illegal electricity connections, clearing illegal dumping and vandalised infrastructure.

The service delivery teams removed dirt and grime as well as illegally dumped waste on pavements, street corners and near business premises in Jules Street and surrounding areas.

Mayor Matongo and the City’s leadership kicked off the day’s Programme at the South Gauteng High Court precinct where they conducted an oversight on the clearing of dirt, litter and the patching of Prichard and Small streets.

They went on to other areas where Joburg Water plugged water leaks, replaced and repaired stolen and vandalised water meters and valves, and supplied chemical toilets for informal settlements.

The Joburg Roads Agency was also on hand to repaint street markings, while City Power attended to faulty streetlights and removed illegal connections. Social Development’s Food Resilient Programme distributed over 800 food parcels to indigent families who receive the supplies every month from the department.