City Power clean-up operations have revealed that 300 metres of copper cable were stolen during a recent vandalism that sparked a fire in the Joburg CBD.
Parts of Johannesburg‘s inner city were filled with smoke last week after underground cables caught alight. The fire led to power outages in several parts of the city and alarmed residents.
Cable theft was alleged to be behind the fire, with City Power security also having to later exchange gunfire with informal settlers who were attempting to steal the burnt cables.
300m of cable stolen
In an update on Sunday, City Power said it was clearing rubble in the 1.2km tunnel where the fire originated. An inspection of the site found that “300 metres of copper cable had been cut and stolen, proving that tampering was the cause of the fire”.
When authorities first opened the tunnel last week, they were greeted by 200° heat, hot enough to burn your hair off and destroy your skin.
Once inside, they found a cell phone and several tools, including a saw, cutter, and screw drivers.
City Power: Call the army!
The Sunday Times reported that City Power CEO Tshifularo Mashava had written to police commissioner Lt-Gen Fannie Masemola for assistance. She also called for the military to help stop cable theft and protect its infrastructure.
In the letter, she reportedly warned that if left unchecked, the city’s power supply would be completely destabilized by vandalism.
The cost of vandalism for City Power
Mashava tallied the cost of theft and vandalism of City Power infrastructure for the current financial year so far at R160 475 253.
Spokesperson Isaac Mangena has previously said illegal connections, cable theft, and vandalism of transformers were among the biggest issues.
4,633km of cable stolen in three years
Earlier this year, Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan revealed that 4 633km of copper cable had been stolen between the 2020 financial year to the end of October 2023.
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