Ongoing theft and vandalism of electrical infrastructure remains a major problem for the City of Cape Town. (Photo: Provided)
Continuous theft and vandalism of electrical infrastructure remains a major problem for the City of Cape Town and has already swallowed millions of rands from the city’s funds. Since the beginning of the financial year on 1 April 2025 until January this year, more than R44.5 million has been spent to repair damage caused.
According to Xanthea Limberg, mayoral committee member for energy, the current situation is reaching a critical point. She emphasizes that the funds spent on emergency repairs should actually have been used for other essential services.
“Theft, illegal connections and vandalism of electrical infrastructure are a security risk for residents that constantly plague Cape Town’s neighbourhoods.
“The directorate for energy had already spent more than R44.5 million by January this year. This money could have been used elsewhere, including to maintain existing infrastructure or could have been spent on other capital projects. This is just not sustainable,” says Limberg.
Despite the challenges, the City continues to take concrete steps to protect infrastructure against theft and vandalism. This includes replacing valuable copper cables with materials of lower street value, as well as laying cables underground where they are more difficult for thieves to access.
In the previous financial year, the City spent approximately R76.3 million on the maintenance and replacement of electricity infrastructure. However, it appears that criminals are not easily deterred, as repaired infrastructure is often targeted again within a short time.
“Several anti-vandalism projects are still being implemented, including the underground installation of cables where possible, the replacement of copper cables with less valuable materials, the installation of anti-vandalism technology on certain infrastructure, and strict action against illegal scrap yards,” says Limberg.
Communities must join hands
The City has meanwhile launched the “Protect Your Power” campaign, an initiative which highlights the serious impact of vandalism and illegal electricity connections. This problem not only leaves neighborhoods in the dark, but can also create dangerous situations for residents.
The City has meanwhile launched the “Protect Your Power” campaign, an initiative which highlights the serious impact of vandalism and illegal electricity connections. (Photo: Provided)
Limberg has made an urgent appeal to Cape Town’s residents to fight with the authorities against what she describes as “blatant criminality”.
“The City has deployed security to monitor hotspots where possible, we are replacing copper with alternative materials that have a lower street value and we are piloting innovative technological solutions for infrastructure protection.
“We appeal to residents to fight the evil with our teams by being our neighborhood partners, keeping eyes and ears open against crime and by reporting all suspicious behavior near electricity infrastructure to the City and the South African Police Service,” she says.
Maintenance continues amid challenges
Despite the fight against crime, the City continues its massive public lighting program. With more than 245,000 street lights across the metro, the maintenance task is huge. For the 2025-26 financial year, a capital budget of R75.5 million has been set aside specifically for street lights.
Limberg says the City’s electricity crews work tirelessly in various areas as part of this ongoing program.
“Any suspicious activity can be reported anonymously to the City’s Public Emergency Communications Center to help ensure that Cape Town’s power grid remains safe for everyone. However, residents are reminded that the police remain the primary authority when it comes to crime prevention.”