City attends to Kapteinsklip Train Station Precinct public lighting challenges

City attends to Kapteinsklip Train Station Precinct public lighting challenges

04 September 2026

The City's Energy teams recently attended to several electricity infrastructure challenges in and around the Kapteinsklip Train Station Precinct, including the repairs and replacement of damaged streetlight poles as well as the installation of new infrastructure to improve the safety and reliability of infrastructure in the area.

The City’s teams conducted extensive repairs and maintenance work at the Kapteinsklip Train Station Precinct, where municipal electricity infrastructure has been severely affected by ongoing theft and vandalism. Critical infrastructure, including electricity cables, streetlight poles and fittings, were damaged or stolen, resulting in service disruptions and reduced public lighting in the area.

‘Our teams completed a range of repairs and upgrades to damaged electricity infrastructure in the precinct. Through the City’s local ward councillors, along with the subcouncils in the Mitchells Plain area, the City collaborated with officials from Prasa, who had recently restored the Kapteinsklip Station. All work has been completed. With the area illuminated, it has significantly improved visibility and safety for commuters travelling in the early morning and after dark. In the station parking area, several streetlight poles were repaired and replaced, while additional work was undertaken to restore public lighting and strengthen the City’s network. The total investment is R877 807.

kap1

‘Carrying out this project wasn’t easy and teams inform us that some materials were vandalised and stolen before the project was completed. Despite that setback, they still managed to complete the project on schedule. We will continue to invest significantly in electricity infrastructure across communities, even as our efforts are undermined by persistent vandalism and theft in all areas. We are determined to introduce anti-theft and anti-vandalism tech, which will act as a deterrent to criminal behaviour and result in more arrests leading to successful convictions for those breaking public electricity infrastructure.

‘We appeal to residents to help us protect our public assets by reporting suspicious activity, theft and vandalism. By helping the City, we can safeguard our critical infrastructure and ensure public funds are used to upgrade services rather than repeatedly replacing damaged infrastructure,’ said Mayoral Committee Member for Energy, Alderman Xanthea Limberg.

kap2

City Interventions

  • The City’s Protect Your Power campaign highlights the impact of vandalism, theft, and illegal connections that leave communities in the dark.
  • Energy Safety Team and City Law Enforcement continue to be visible in all hotspot areas.
  • The City continues to roll out anti-theft and vandalism tech solutions.
  • We are installing low-street-value equipment in place of copper to discourage theft and vandalism

The SAPS remains the main crime fighting authority.

Report to the City

Streetlight and electricity faults:

Call Centre: 0860 103 089

SMS: 31220

WhatsApp: 060 018 1505

Let’s ACT: Protect Your Power against theft, illegal connections and vandalism

  • Report suspicious behaviour to the City’s Public Emergency Communication Centre: 021 480 7700
  • Report illegal scrap yards to the ‘Copperheads’: 0800 222 771 (toll free, 24/7, anonymous tip-offs)

End

Back to All