The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng calls on Premier Panyaza Lesufi to intensify the fight against cable theft and vandalism that has left parts of the Johannesburg CBD without electricity for almost a week and furthermore, interrupted electricity in several areas in Tshwane on a continuous basis for the last three weeks.
Rissik and Helen Joseph Street in Johannesburg are some of the blocks without electricity, which is severely affecting businesses around those areas. For these businesses to continue trading, they must dig deep in their pockets to provide alternative power, which is costly.
Furthermore, there are unconfirmed reports that City Power technicians have been shot underground by illegal miners while working to fix and restore power which has resulted in delays in restoring power.
The armed illegal miners operating in the tunnels under the Johannesburg CBD are causing severe damage to infrastructure.
Heuweloord in Tshwane experienced another power outage this morning, marking the eighth incident in just 14 days. This disruption affects various malls and communities in the southern region of Tshwane and impacts a major arterial road leading to N14 and Johannesburg. This outage comes during Ramadan, when many families have purchased food in advance for the month, leaving their supplies at risk of spoilage.
Klerksoord Industrial Area in northern Tshwane also faced a power loss this morning due to cable theft. This situation is severely disrupting essential services for businesses and government institutions in the area, including the Home Affairs Offices, Municipal Courts, TMPD, and Licensing Offices, all of which have been forced to suspend operations for the community again.
This happens despite Premier Lesufi committing in his State of the Province Address (SOPA) last month that they are making sure that businesses no longer suffer because of power cuts. “A reaction unit comprising various law enforcement agencies and the private sector has been unleashed to safeguard and protect our cables and public infrastructure,” said Lesufi. He added, “ We have resolved to install tech logs that will alert us instantly when our network is tampered with, and a 24-hour response team will always be on standby.” Where was this reaction unit when the City Power technicians were attacked, when will these tech logs be installed? How many lives should be threatened or lost due to illegal miners who are vandalising our infrastructure and stealing our resources?
Failure to address cable theft, vandalism of infrastructure and illegal mining will result in investors and businesses moving away from Gauteng.
The only solution to curb illegal mining and protect our infrastructure from theft and vandalism is adopting the DA’s Anti-Extortion Plan launched in 2024. Premier Lesufi must engage his national counterpart, Minister of Police, Senzo Mchunu, to establish a centralised intelligence gathering and analysis hub to enable SAPS to track extortion networks, anticipate threats and dismantle criminal operations from the top down. Target the kingpins, the leaders of the operations and the officials enabling these operations. Strengthen the criminal justice system to restore public confidence and prosecution of cases to ensure justice is served.
This issue is not limited to Johannesburg alone but affects communities across Gauteng. Gauteng alone will not win this war against illegal miners vandalising our infrastructure and affecting businesses. No business will strive in an environment that is not conducive facing issues of electricity outages due to illegal miners vandalising our infrastructure. More should be done to protect our infrastructure and people from these criminals.