City of Cape Town officials and Eskom’s Cape Coastal Cluster representatives earlier this week, on Tuesday 15 November 2022, launched the community cooperatives initiative programme in Elsies River to raise awareness and increase public education on electricity-related matters. Ongoing infrastructure vandalism and illegal connections remain a challenge across the metro.
The cooperatives initiative includes education about using electricity wisely and awareness on the effects of vandalism and theft. The City has attended to hundreds of faults in recent months and disconnects illegal connections to City infrastructure across the metro on a regular basis. We encourage community members to assist us in ending this scourge.
‘Illegal connections and damage to electricity infrastructure remain a challenge in the city, as it often results in constant electricity outages in some areas. We simply cannot allow this criminality to continue. Constant repairs of the same vandalised infrastructure is not feasible and places significant pressure on City resources. This negatively impacts our residents, who experience outages and insufficient street lighting.
‘We need the support of partners and the community and urge residents to help us bring criminals to book by reporting illegal electricity connections to the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the City. We are offering a reward to anyone who provides information that leads to an arrest, confiscation of stolen or illegal goods or the handing-in of illegal or stolen goods. This reward is also applicable to information leading to the arrest of people vandalising, damaging or stealing electricity infrastructure or installing illegal connections. We call on communities across the metro to work with us to help protect community infrastructure,’ said the City of Cape Town’s Mayoral Committee Member for Energy, Councillor Beverley van Reenen.
Report damage to municipal electrical infrastructure:
- SMS: 31220
- Email: power@capetown.gov.za
Anonymous tip-offs welcomed:
Residents can give anonymous tip offs if they are aware of illegal activity that is taking place; that has happened or is still to happen. Please call 112 from a cell phone (toll free) and 107 from a landline or 021 480 7700 for emergencies.