City Power spent R100 million protecting copper cables from thieves this in a year

[Jan]

City Power's fight against cable crime — R100 million spent in a year

City Power is intensifying its security deployments at cable theft hotspots across Johannesburg as incidents are increasing at an alarming rate.

The power utility is also looking to implement new technologies when laying cables, better security systems, and move away from copper cabling in fuses.

 

[mpdjhb]

What a pity we do not have police.

 

[backstreetboy]

What a pity we do not have police.

Yeah more manpower. That's working out well for big tech.

 

[TheChamp]

Any security starts with restricting and monitoring access to the network, knowing who is doing what on the network at all times, with the chaos currently happening there is no hope in hell that a solution would ever be found.

 

[LCBXX]

Clearly spending R100m isn't the solution, is it?

 

[borro]

 

[Eat my shorts]

Well Mr Sun like we told you in meetings.
It's your own people steeling the infrastructure, citypower and contractors work hand in hand to help each other vandalize infrastructure so they get paid to repair it, start by actually locking the transformers properly with antitheft devices already on the transformers.

Putting locks on and securing the properties.

Put the security nuts in place at doors, keeping the contractors friends out that doesn't have correct ID or tools to be need or even close.

Then I wouldn't need to come around in my private capacity to security them via lock boxes, locks and barwires.

There after fighting with your employees to actually lock them again after they have been in them.

Your workmanship is grossly negligence and have handed at best of times, never mind housekeeping leaving it worst them they found it.

 

[R13...]

Any security starts with restricting and monitoring access to the network, knowing who is doing what on the network at all times, with the chaos currently happening there is no hope in hell that a solution would ever be found.

Why would they not know who works on the network? They have said most work is carried out by their own staff with some outsourced when they run out of resource but they are otherwise not resource constrained. But yes, as Mashaba showed, a lot of their contractors (and staff) do help themselves to the city's infrastructure and equipment. They operate like Eskom where the stuff is stolen and sold back when it is more profitable than selling the cable back, but stolen cable is for export as you can't re-use that. Both the municipalities and Eskom need to ensure that material used by their contractors is traceable but I suspect BEE requirements make that near impossible because it is likely only the likes to aberdare, African Cables who can trace their stock.

Chicco apparently mistook City Power techs for cable thieves and went all mob justice on them

UPDATE | Chicco Twala released on bail after allegedly pulling out 'gun', aiming it at City Power employee's head | News24

Music mogul and businessman Chicco Twala was arrested on Monday for allegedly assaulting a City Power employee. The employee was outside Twala's Johannesburg recording studio to repair a fault which had caused a power outage.

www.news24.com

The statement read:

For me, my arrest is a blessing and victory to proof [sic] to my haters that I am not above the law, and no police or judge will protect me if I commit [a] crime.

 

[system32]

Just to be clear, the R100m is just for security measures.

The repairs to substations, replacement of cables, repair of robots is much, much more than R100m


Robertsham Substation - "vandals" aka cable thieves.


Repairing a cut down traffic light costs thousands of Rands.

 

[2023]

This is why we are not allow to have nice things.

 

[chrisc]

A camera, mounted on top of a 50m high steel pole at the corner of Jakes Gerwel and Valhallah Drive, opposite the fire station in Epping, CT lasted 3 weeks.

The entire pole disappeared. Whoever took it must have come with a mobile crane to hoist the pole after it was unfastened at the base. The pole would have weighed over 600kg

This intersection is one of the busiest in Cape Town, with 4, 3-lane roads converging to it

Before the pole was dismantled, the cover at the bottom was opened and the camera cables cut. City of CT CCTV monitoring did not notice that the camera feed had disappeared. There was no "Video Loss" alarm

 

[grok]

Clearly spending R100m isn't the solution, is it?

You cannot buy a nation's integrity with R100mil..

 

[TheChamp]

A camera, mounted on top of a 50m high steel pole at the corner of Jakes Gerwel and Valhallah Drive, opposite the fire station in Epping, CT lasted 3 weeks.

The entire pole disappeared. Whoever took it must have come with a mobile crane to hoist the pole after it was unfastened at the base. The pole would have weighed over 600kg

This intersection is one of the busiest in Cape Town, with 4, 3-lane roads converging to it

Before the pole was dismantled, the cover at the bottom was opened and the camera cables cut. City of CT CCTV monitoring did not notice that the camera feed had disappeared. There was no "Video Loss" alarm

I put it to you that it wasn't actually stolen, it was taken away, as you said that they must have had a crane, would you have given them a second look if you went past and found them busy "working" on it?

 

[LCBXX]

You cannot buy a nation's integrity with R100mil..

We cannot know this since the our esteemed journalists don't ask questions like: can we see the itemised invoice for this R100m?