CABLE THEFT PLAGUES LANGEBERG MUNICIPALITY

Cable theft has become a growing concern within the Langeberg Municipal area. This criminal activity has escalated recently, with a staggering 36 reported incidents of cable theft occurring within the past few months. The consequences of these thefts have not only impacted the community but also strained service delivery by the municipality.

While cable theft might seem like a lesser crime, its consequences are far-reaching. Out of the 36 reported incidents this year, only one arrest has been made thus far, highlighting the challenges law enforcement faces in apprehending the culprits.
The impact of cable theft trickles into the municipality's infrastructure and services. The financial toll is huge, with the municipality forced to allocate significant funds to replace stolen materials and pay for overtime labour to repair the damage. As a result, essential services that the municipality provides to the residents’ face delays and interruptions.

The restoration timeline for cable theft incidents is not uniform due to the varying extent of damage caused and the availability of municipal resources. The municipality's electrical team tirelessly works to assess the damage, secure replacements, and undertake repairs. The estimated turnaround time for resolving these
incidents hinges on the cooperation of several factors, including the scale of the theft, the extent of damage to infrastructure, and the accessibility of necessary resources. 

Our electrical team works tirelessly to attend to these incidents and ensure that our community's daily lives are affected as minimally as possible.
Their commitment to service is truly commendable. With vandalism of municipal infrastructure and copper theft rife in the municipal area, the municipality is using aluminium instead of copper to replace stolen cables. The electricity department has already embarked on a project to replace overhead copper cables with aluminium.

The reason the municipality is choosing aluminium cables is that there is little to no market for aluminium, as opposed to copper that has a market value 10 times higher. This is an effort to prevent infrastructure vandalism, stop theft and to continue providing cost-effective services to residents.

The Langeberg Municipality urges both its workers and the public to remain vigilant and proactive in curbing cable theft. For municipal workers, the protocol involves reporting incidents at the local police station and completing an incident logging form sent to the appropriate managerial and insurance channels. The cooperation of the public is equally vital.

Residents are encouraged to report any suspicious activity to their neighbourhood watch groups and promptly inform the police.
We urge our residents to please report any suspicious activity as we rely on tip offs from the public to help curb cable theft. We All have the responsibility to report any acts of cable theft or vandalism.

Please report cable theft to the Police at 10111 or the Langeberg Call Centre at 0860 88 1111.