THE Struandale Cluster, one of the geographic clusters under the umbrella of organised business, has recently adopted four substations as part of the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber’s Adopt-A-Substation initiative, which focuses on safeguarding this infrastructure against the ongoing problems of vandalism and theft.
The cluster has taken a lead in strengthening security measures around the Kwa-Ford, Struandale, Swartkops and Matomela substations, with perimeter fencing and the deployment of an Atlas Security armed vehicle that provides a 24-hour patrol service.
Security cameras have also been installed at all four substations, as part of security reinforcement, and these will also be monitored by Atlas Security as their nominated service provider.
All the cluster’s members that participate in the Adopt-A-Substation initiative will pay a monthly contribution fee for five years, to amortise the principal amount used by the security service provider to install CCTV monitoring systems and the armed response at all identified substations.
Last year, the chamber concluded a groundbreaking initiative, after it signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, which allows businesses to safeguard substation infrastructure within their areas of operation to ensure minimal interruptions to power supply and continuity of business operations.
To date, 19 substations have been adopted across the metro.
Chamber chief executive, Denise van Huyssteen, said that the adoption of four additional substations would help address acts of vandalism on these key facilities, and also prevent power outages that are commonly caused by acts of criminality in the area.
“Over the past year or so it has become apparent that cable and infrastructure theft, and vandalism, are among the greatest threats to our local economy. In 2021 there were nine unplanned power outages in the Struandale area and since the start of this year the figure has reached 16, highlighting the seriousness of this problem.
“What the cluster has done is commendable as it aligns with our efforts as the chamber, of identifying key service delivery challenges and addressing them as a collective.
“Unreliable power supply in the metro remains a huge challenge as it causes major disruptions in the local industry, and results in production losses with severe financial implications. This is a huge threat, not only to employment, but also to the city’s efforts of retaining investments,” she added.
“This has taken some time to conclude, and we have managed to tick all the boxes in the joint venture with the metro leadership,” said Struandale Business Owners Association chairperson, Angus Clark.
“Unfortunately, a number of substations have been vandalised in the past year which could have been avoided. This initiative has been supported by the majority of the industrial players in the Struandale Cluster and is seen as one of our priorities in protecting our infrastructure against the scourge of vandalism.”
He added that the metro has been hugely supportive of this initiative and they are working together to protect assets to ensure reliability of supply, and to secure jobs and investment in the city.
“This is our first project that we are undertaking as a cluster, and the start of a long relationship with businesses and the metro with the intent of improving the ease of doing business within the city.”
Atlas Security Marketing manager, Ryan Morris, said the war on crime is constantly evolving onto new battlegrounds, and one of the crucial efforts right now is the defence of the metro’s substations.
“The use of a multi-platform security solution is a vital weapon to protect the integrity of the infrastructure. The solution includes dedicated armour-plated and customised vehicles, along with multiple layers of analytical technology, all forming part of the pro-active solution that aims at providing the highest level of security.”
– ISSUED BY THE NELSON MANDELA BAY BUSINESS CHAMBER
