Cape Town’s R62 Million Vandalism and Theft Crisis

On Tuesday 27 May 2025, the City of Cape Town launched its Let’s ACT: Protect Your Power campaign. From July 2024 to April 2025, nearly R62 million has been spent on electricity maintenance and replacement. The City’s Electricity Generation and Distribution Department carries out important and necessary electricity maintenance and replacement to vandalised and stolen infrastructure on a daily basis in areas across the metro to ensure reliable electricity supply. We urge our residents to be alert around the power infrastructure in their communities and help us by reporting criminal activity.

‘The City has spent approximately R62 million this financial year on electricity infrastructure maintenance and replacement. This is a first of a kind campaign to highlight the massive impact of vandalism, theft, and illegal connections that leave our communities, neighbourhoods, and roadways in the dark. Much of our infrastructure is located within our communities, in some cases, right next to residents’ homes. We’re calling on you to help us Protect Your Power and build safer, brighter communities by reporting any suspicious activity anonymously to 021 480 7700.

‘On our side, we’ve established Energy Safety Teams in partnership with law enforcement. We’re also expanding the use of underground cabling and replacing materials that have a high resale value to deter theft. Our Draft Energy budget, totalling more than R76,7 billion over the next three years, speaks to our efforts to invest in streetlighting, to curb energy theft and vandalism, to plan for the growing energy needs of Cape Town in a more affordable and sustainable manner. We ask residents to report illegal scrap metal dealers. We need to work together. The recent major outage impacting hundreds of thousands of households in Langa, Epping, and Bonteheuwel is a clear example of the devastation this crime is causing. So our message is Let’s ACT and stand together and help us to protect your power!

‘Vandalism and electricity infrastructure theft remains a challenge for this City, and we appeal to residents to assist us by reporting any suspicious activities near electricity infrastructure to both the SAPS and the City so that we can bring an end to infrastructure theft and vandalism. Unfortunately, often as soon as infrastructure has been fixed or replaced, it is vandalised again. The City does deploy security and monitor hotspot areas where possible but we rely on our communities to alert us and to help us protect community infrastructure,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Energy, Alderman Xanthea Limberg.

Let’s ACT: Protect Your Power
Report suspicious behaviour to the City’s Public Emergency Communication Centre: 021 480 7700
The SAPS remains the lead authority in crime prevention.