By Staff Reporter
WINDHOEK
A recent wave of cable thievery will set City of Windhoek’s ratepayers back a considerable sum.
The City has announced an increase in thefts and vandalism of municipal properties – most specifically the theft of copper cables.
Last Friday, the yet unidentified thieves stole electric cables in Otjomuise by cutting a 30-metre long cable with protection equipment to disconnect it from a live 11 kV line.
Some weeks ago, yet another 500-metre long 11 kV cable was stolen. This, the City indicated, is about N$30 000 worth.
“Such criminal behaviour towards the infrastructure of the City is most unfortunate, and costly,” stated the City’s management.
During the last weekend in May, a 75 kVA transformer, valued at N$45 000, was stolen at a borehole outside the Kupferberg Load Centre.
The same weekend, a new miniature sub-station in Khomasdal Extension 16 was vandalized. The thieves managed to root out some cables and copper metal bars from inside the station.
Eight similar cases were previously reported from the Kupferberg Load Centre and Kupferberg Line, the Haloid Load Centre, Daan Viljoen, Khomasdal, and Otjomuise, costing the ratepayer s a whopping total of N$156 000.
“Although these incidents have been reported and are under investigation by the City Police, the rate at which these criminal activities are taking place is of serious concern to the City,” a media release from the Municipality stated.
The City has made an appeal to the residents and members of the public to be on the look-out and to report any suspicious movements of people around the infrastructure of the Municipality such as digging trenches without the approval of the City, or persons trying to sell or set off stolen copper.
“It must be appreciated that municipal properties are there to ensure service delivery and to improve the quality of life to all our people. Criminal activities like these are therefore intolerable, and any person found guilty of either stealing or buying stolen copper will be severely dealt with, in line with the country’s laws and the City’s by-laws and regulations,” the City warned.