HUMANSORP – Kouga Local Municipality is condemning the escalating criminal activities that continue to hamper service delivery in Humansdorp and has offered a reward for information that could lead to the successful prosecution of the perpetrators.
Kouga Executive Mayor Hattingh Bornman said the coordinated acts of sabotage have now reached crisis levels, placing both municipal infrastructure and residents at severe risk.
“What we are witnessing is not simple vandalism; these are deliberate attacks on our high-voltage electricity network,” said Bornman.
“These actions are endangering lives, destabilising essential services, and robbing the entire community of a reliable electricity supply.”
Criminals have been targeting the electricity grid by throwing wires and other foreign objects across overhead lines, intentionally triggering power outages. These disruptions often escalate into catastrophic infrastructure failures, including transformer damage, substation explosions, and severe voltage dips that destroy household appliances.
During these forced blackouts, the perpetrators exploit the darkness to steal copper cables directly from residents’ homes, often preying on the most vulnerable.
“It must be clearly understood that the cables being stolen from residents’ homes are private property,” Bornman emphasised.
“The municipality is therefore not legally obligated to replace them, and the financial burden falls entirely on affected families.”
Evidence gathered by municipal authorities indicates that most of the incidents are concentrated in Ward 4, with strong indications that the offenders reside within Wards 4 and 5.
Despite the relentless setbacks, municipal staff continue to serve the community with dedication.
Many sacrifice rest and family time to work extra hours to stabilise the network.
“Our teams work tirelessly, but the constant criminal interference makes it impossible for them to execute routine tasks, for example, repairs to streetlights, transformers, substations, and overhead lines are being delayed because staff are spending most of their time responding to sabotage,” added Bornman.
Copper theft remains at the heart of the crisis.
Replacing copper infrastructure with alternative materials would require massive financial investment, funding that is urgently needed for network upgrades and essential maintenance.
In the previous financial year alone, copper theft cost the municipality over R6 million.
“These are funds that should have gone toward strengthening and modernising our network,” Mayor Bornman emphasised.
“Instead, criminals are stealing not only copper but the community’s future.”
Bornman issued a passionate call for collective responsibility.
“The community must take ownership of its infrastructure. The municipality cannot always be everywhere, nor can we provide 24/7 protection for the entire network,” he said.
“We need residents to partner with us.”
To support ongoing efforts, the municipality has announced a R10,000 reward for information leading to the successful prosecution of those responsible.
All tip-offs will remain strictly anonymous.
“We implore every resident: if you see something, say something. Your information could save a transformer, an entire neighbourhood’s electricity supply, especially that of the vulnerable or even a life,” said Bornman.
“Together, we can protect our infrastructure and safeguard service delivery in Humansdorp.”
READ MORE: Reward for information on infrastructure vandalism
