Video of brazen street light vandalism goes viral
Spider-man and Tarzan are entertaining but CCTV footage of a man shimmying up an Amalinda lamp post defies belief.
He is at the top, disconnecting the bulb and making off with it and some cable from the tall structure in seconds.
The incident took place on a quiet Sunday afternoon, when no motorists or commuters were visible in the street.
The clip has been flying on social media, with people sharing their outrage and surprise.
BCM spokesperson Samkelo Ngwenya has seen it too.
It was shared with the BCM task team that deals with electricity theft and vandalism, he said. It was “shocking and embarrassing”, he admitted. “It is a reflection of the siege that we are under, not only as BCM, but the entire country, with the high levels of vandalism taking place, perpetuated by some ... scrapyard dealerships. People are becoming so brazen.”
Ngwenya said crooked scrapyard dealers made an easy market for stolen infrastructure.
“If there is anyone with information that can lead to identification or arrest of the suspect, they can kindly let the SAPS or BCM know. They can inbox our Facebook page.”
He said the metro was working with other officials to bring about harsher sentences for stealing state infrastructure.
“We are piloting a case at the moment which could lead to up to 15 years. We will be raising the issue of cable theft with the provincial government team looking at syndicates, as well as metal dealerships,” he said. “We need more resources. We can’t be everywhere all the time.”
Last week cable thieves hit the East London beachfront again. This could result in long periods of darkness just as people are gearing up to enjoy themselves on the Eastern
Beach during the holidays.
The latest vandalism took place near the popular Ebuhlanti braai and picnic spot.
Ngwenya said: “These thieves use odd hours to commit their crimes, when we have been found at times wanting.
“We will be intensifying our efforts going towards the festive season, setting up a joint operation centre led by the SAPS, which will look into all the safety and security issues in this period, and part of that will include the issue of scrap metal, theft, vandalism and all these ills that we are faced with.”