Protect Your Power: Cape Town's initiative to combat electrical theft
The City of Cape Town has launched Protect Your Power, a first of a kind campaign which highlights the massive impact of vandalism, theft and illegal connections which leave our communities, neighbourhoods, and roadways in the dark.
Image: City of Cape Town
The City of Cape Town is currently locked in a costly battle against a persistent wave of electrical infrastructure theft and vandalism, a crisis that is draining municipal coffers and plunging communities into darkness.
Official figures released this month reveal that over R44.5 million has already been allocated in the current financial year to combat the criminal elements targeting the city’s power grid. This expenditure follows a staggering R76.3 million spent during the previous financial period on the maintenance and replacement of damaged equipment.
Mayco member for energy, Xanthea Limberg, has raised the alarm over the "unsustainable cycle" of repair and re-vandalism. In many hotspots, critical infrastructure is targeted by thieves almost immediately after being restored.
"Theft, illegal connections, and vandalism of electrical infrastructure are a safety risk to residents and continue to plague Cape Town neighbourhoods," Limberg said. She emphasised that these criminal acts do more than just cut the lights; they endanger lives by leaving live wires exposed and disrupting essential emergency services.
In response to the onslaught, the City’s Energy Directorate is moving beyond simple repairs, opting instead for "vandal-proof" engineering. Key strategies currently being deployed include:
Undergrounding: Shifting vulnerable overhead cabling underground to make it less accessible.
Material Substitution: Replacing high-value copper—a primary target for illicit scrap dealers—with materials that hold significantly lower street value.
Targeted Surveillance: Integrating anti-vandalism technology and increased monitoring in known crime hotspots.
Scrapyard Crackdowns: Intensifying inspections of local scrapyards suspected of trading in stolen municipal property.
The centrepiece of the City's strategy is the newly launched ‘Protect Your Power’ campaign. As the first initiative of its kind in South Africa, the programme seeks to transform residents from passive victims into active guardians of their local grid.
The City maintains a vast network of over 245,000 streetlights, supported by a dedicated capital budget of R75.5 million for the 2025/26 financial year. However, officials admit that without community vigilance, even these significant investments remain at risk.
The City has urged residents to take ownership of their infrastructure by reporting suspicious activity to the Public Emergency Communication Centre (PECC). While the South African Police Service (SAPS) remains the lead authority for crime prevention, the City believes that the eyes and ears of the community are the most effective deterrent.
"We call on all residents to help us Protect Your Power and build safer, brighter communities," Limberg concluded.