The danger of death has not deterred vandals from stealing copper cables from live street lights along AZ Berman so many times that contractors had become fed up with the repairs.
As a result, large sections of the street, which is a main arterial road that runs through four Mitchell’s Plain suburbs, was without lights for half of this year.
“For the last six months AZ Berman has been in total darkness from Imperial to Hugeunot streets. Every time the contractor is called back, it’s fixed and then it’s vandalised again,” said ward councillor Norman Adonis.
Last month, Adonis tabled the matter at the Sub-council 12 meeting and shortly afterwards the electricity department came out and repaired the lights.
“The community is quite happy because AZ Berman is no longer dark,” he said, adding that 80% of the street lights are now on. He is now appealing to residents to report vandalism as it happens.
According to Adonis, the constant vandalising of the lights has been a problem since 2021.
“Month after month after month it was vandalised,” he said.
The perpetrators are after the copper cables which they sell to scrap yards for cash.
The electricity department has tried several deterrents, he said, but nothing has yet managed to stop the vandals, Adonis said.
“Even if we put in reinforcements, they cut that off. The department tried everything, using different poles, you name it. We have CCTV cameras but you can’t see their faces. How they get on top of there, I don’t know,” he said.
When the street is in darkness, residents are vulnerable to crime and most of the vandalism, Adonis said, happens at night. Adonis has requested more frequent patrols and police and both the metro police and police have increased their visibility on the road.
However, Adonis said the vulnerable times are when the shift changes or when there are serious crimes elsewhere that need police attention.
“That’s when the vandalism happens,” he said. “All I’m requesting, is that when the community witnesses the vandalism, please call the call centre on 021 480 7700.”
