Last month I started a "page" on the social network Facebook called "Stop Cable Theft" to raise awareness of this crime, which not only causes huge inconveniences to community members who end up without electricity for days at a time but sometimes damage to property and appliances as well. One resident complained that during the last power surge due to cable theft, she had incurred damages costing her over R10,000 and neither the municipalty or her personal insurance could assist her in recovering the costs. During the same period 3 top floor flats in Adrain Road, Durban were completely destroyed due to a fire started by power surges. Insurance companies should look into this as a lot of residents' household appliances like fridges and computers stopped working. My neighbour said his microwave oven was "cooking" his meal faster than it normally does in the same period. Electicians were having a field day, advising residents in the area to put voltage protectors in their buildings. We got a quote for our 6 flat complex from a well known contractor for........wait for it..........R10,800. Now who has that kind of cash lying around? The municipality is trying their best to combat this crime by installing pepperspray alarms in their substations. These alarms emit pepperspray if there is unauthorized entry and at the same time "armed response" is also activated. Have they caught anyone in this manner yet? Not that I am aware of but then a warning notice is posted outside these substations so maybe that is a deterrant in itself! I "borrowed" the accompanying photo from "timeslive" as ot shows Cape Town youths "stealing" cable. You can voice your opinion on our Facebook page by using the link: Stop Cable Theft and liking the page if you use Facebook.
