DA to hold Centlec accountable for unfair cable theft reporting burden

Note to Editors: Please find attached English and Afrikaans soundbites by Cllr Selmé Pretorius and Sesotho soundbite by Cllr Kabelo Moreeng.

– Residents unfairly burdened by cable theft.

– DA to hold Centlec and SAPS accountable.

– Faster repairs needed without police cases.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Mangaung will hold Centlec and SAPS accountable in Council until residents can report power outages caused by cable theft without being forced to open police cases before repairs are considered.

The DA is alarmed at the spiralling cable theft and vandalism of electrical infrastructure across our metro. What’s worse, residents who report these crimes are being told they must go to the SAPS to open a case, then queue at Centlec customer care before repairs will be considered.

Let’s be clear: the responsibility to investigate and prosecute cable theft lies with SAPS and the courts, not with the victim. The responsibility for maintaining, protecting, and repairing municipal infrastructure lies with Centlec and the Mangaung Metro, not with residents.

When a resident reports a power outage caused by theft, they are the victim, not the investigator.

Forcing them to open a case at a police station and then stand in queues at customer care before Centlec will act is unacceptable. It shifts the burden of Centlec’s failure to secure its own assets onto the very people already suffering from the lack of electricity.

The DA demands:

1. Centlec must log and respond to outage reports immediately, without requiring residents to produce SAPS case numbers. SAPS can request details from Centlec directly if needed.
2. Centlec must take ownership of protecting its infrastructure through patrols, alarm systems, and rapid repair teams, not push administrative burdens onto consumers.
3. SAPS must prioritise cable theft as economic sabotage and work with Centlec to track, arrest and prosecute syndicates.

Residents pay for electricity and expect a service. They should not have to become detectives and administrators just to get their lights back on.