Attempted cable theft leaves Hanover Park residents in the dark

The City of Cape Town, together with the South African Police Service (SAPS), is working to track down suspects linked to an attempted cable theft in Hanover Park on Sunday that left parts of the community without power.

According to the City, the incident occurred when suspects allegedly tried to steal electricity infrastructure, sparking an outage in the area.

One of the suspects sustained serious burn wounds during the attempt and was rushed to the hospital after community members alerted emergency services. Another suspect is believed to have fled the scene.

The City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Energy, Xanthea Limberg, confirmed that the City’s energy teams restored the electricity supply by noon on Monday.

Limberg urged residents to support the City’s efforts and to report all suspicious activity near electricity infrastructure to the South African Police Service and the City.

She added that the City will continue to liaise with police and take necessary action against those responsible, stressing that the safeguarding of infrastructure is critical for service delivery.

“The City will liaise with the South African Police Service (SAPS) and take the necessary action against the alleged perpetrators.”

Limberg added that electricity teams repair infrastructure as well as streetlights, in several areas throughout the city, only to find that the infrastructure was vandalised again the very next day.

Authorities have called on Hanover Park and other communities to adopt a more proactive role in protecting public infrastructure. Residents are encouraged to keep their “eyes and ears open to criminality” and immediately report any incidents of cable theft or vandalism.

“We call on communities across the city to help keep the lights on and to adopt the electricity infrastructure in their neighbourhoods,” added Limberg