The Buffalo City Metro is looking at more advanced technology and at increasing security personnel in order to manage crime related to electricity.
This follows an incident where three suspects were arrested on Thursday for causing blackouts in the City.
They were charged at the Fleet Street police station.
The three were caught in the act, by the City’s CCTV cameras.
In the footage caught on camera, suspects can be seen pulling and chopping a line on an electrical pole several times in an attempt to cause a blackout in Arcadia, East London.
They come back in the early hours of Monday morning, the following day, to finish the job.
Samkelo Ngwenya, the Spokesperson of the Buffalo City Metro, said the City welcomes the apprehension of suspects.
“This is perpetuated crime against the City and its people. Its quite disturbing the lengths at which people go to vandalize government infrastructure for whatever motives” she said.
“We have our own suspicions as to the possible motives, but we are hoping that the police investigation will tell us the reasons why people would go to so much lengths just to cause a blackout in an area.”
Ngwenya said the Metro hopes that this arrest will send a strong signal to others, that they will be brought to book.
To address vandalism, the City said scrap metal dealers must be banned.
“When substation break-ins peaked, the Municipality moved swiftly, and we have now installed security cameras and electric fences at about 81 substation sites.
Our three main substations, Viz Stafford, Progress and Chislehurst have also been equipped with thermal imaging cameras, PTZ’s and hidden cameras, which are also linked to breaches in the electric fence and whereby suspects can later be identified for prosecution” explained Ngwenya.