City Power has raised concern over technicians who get robbed at gunpoint while responding to power outages in Alexandra, northern Johannesburg.
Spokesperson Isaac Mangena said there has been an increase in reported cases in the area since March when a team of technicians were robbed of their phones at gunpoint around 4th Avenue.
"Two months later another team was hijacked and robbed of their phones by cable thieves at Far Eastbank," he said. “The bakkie was later found the same day by the police, but the phones and cables were never recovered.”
On July 1 contractors were robbed of their cellphones at gunpoint on 9th Avenue between Joe Nhlanhla and Hoffmeyer streets where they had been working.
“We also had an attempted robbery incident which happened on the same day at number 60 10th Avenue,” Mangena said.
“Our contractor was pointed at with a firearm during the work and their cellphones were taken from them. But fortunately their belongings were later returned after the community intervened. The suspects escaped.”
In another incident which happened on July 16 at about 3pm, while contractors were working on site, they were approached by resident s who forcefully took away their stepladder, stopping their work.
Mangena said some of the robberies were possibly linked to the recent crime wave in the township.
The area was in the spotlight two weeks ago when six people, including Alex FM music manager Joshua Mbatha, were killed and 10 others injured during what was described as a shooting spree. Most of the victims were robbed of cellphones, shoes and money. Twelve people have since been arrested in connection with these crimes.
“These incidents make it difficult for City Power to effectively service the community, and prolongs some of the outages unnecessarily,” Mangena said.
“We have already decided against responding to outage calls from certain areas at night due to the threats and safety concerns for our workers. We will not hesitate to pull our teams out completely if the threats increase.”
Mangena said it would be costly for City Power to deploy security with each and every outage call they respond to. He also called on police to ensure enough visibility which will deter criminals in the area.
sibiyan@sowetan.co.za
City Power technicians under attack in Alex
Utility won't respond to outage calls at night
Image: Phathu Luvhengo
City Power has raised concern over technicians who get robbed at gunpoint while responding to power outages in Alexandra, northern Johannesburg.
Spokesperson Isaac Mangena said there has been an increase in reported cases in the area since March when a team of technicians were robbed of their phones at gunpoint around 4th Avenue.
"Two months later another team was hijacked and robbed of their phones by cable thieves at Far Eastbank," he said. “The bakkie was later found the same day by the police, but the phones and cables were never recovered.”
On July 1 contractors were robbed of their cellphones at gunpoint on 9th Avenue between Joe Nhlanhla and Hoffmeyer streets where they had been working.
“We also had an attempted robbery incident which happened on the same day at number 60 10th Avenue,” Mangena said.
“Our contractor was pointed at with a firearm during the work and their cellphones were taken from them. But fortunately their belongings were later returned after the community intervened. The suspects escaped.”
In another incident which happened on July 16 at about 3pm, while contractors were working on site, they were approached by resident s who forcefully took away their stepladder, stopping their work.
Mangena said some of the robberies were possibly linked to the recent crime wave in the township.
The area was in the spotlight two weeks ago when six people, including Alex FM music manager Joshua Mbatha, were killed and 10 others injured during what was described as a shooting spree. Most of the victims were robbed of cellphones, shoes and money. Twelve people have since been arrested in connection with these crimes.
“These incidents make it difficult for City Power to effectively service the community, and prolongs some of the outages unnecessarily,” Mangena said.
“We have already decided against responding to outage calls from certain areas at night due to the threats and safety concerns for our workers. We will not hesitate to pull our teams out completely if the threats increase.”
Mangena said it would be costly for City Power to deploy security with each and every outage call they respond to. He also called on police to ensure enough visibility which will deter criminals in the area.
sibiyan@sowetan.co.za
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