The power provider City Power has arrested at least 25 people since the introduction of the nationwide seclusion for various offenses such as cable theft, vandalism and illegal connections.
Most of those arrests are related to the stealing of aluminum and copper cables, as well as burglary at substations.
The suspects were arrested all over Johannesburg, extradited to the police and charged.
City Power spokesman Isaac Mangena says the number of arrests reported at the time of the isolation last month is 150% more than in a normal month.
Normally, about ten arrests are reported monthly.
According to Mangena, this electricity supplier, which supplies electricity to the City of Johannesburg, loses millions of rands annually for these types of offenses.
Sgt. Thela, City Power’s chief of security, says the reason why the arrests increased at the time of the seclusion is not necessarily because there are more cases of this crime, but because they are more vigilant and therefore security teams can speed up any criminal activity note and stop in time.
However, City Power expects vandalism and cable theft to increase at the time of level 4 seclusion as sectors such as recycling and metal trading resume service.
Thela says the power provider will make sure that vandalism and theft are overcome in the coming weeks with the help of patrols, as well as the necessary vigilance of security officers and law enforcement.
