For the third time within the space of a month, the copper cables supplying electricity to the pump station next to the railway line in Louis Trichardt have been stolen.

Apart from the financial loss the municipality has suffered once again, residents have been inconvenienced for the umpteenth time because the water supply had to be interrupted during the repair process. On top of that, thousands upon thousands of litres of water flowed into the adjacent vlei when the reservoir at the station overflowed.

This happened because the water being pumped from the boreholes could not be pumped to the next reservoir higher up. The station reservoir therefore exceeded its capacity and the water simply flowed off into the vlei. The question that arises immediately is why the fact that the electricity supply had been suspended did not come to the attention of the official on duty immediately, allowing him to investigate or to cut of the electricity supply to the boreholes. The sophisticated electronic equipment available today allows for such an eventuality. If such a system was implemented, it would have even been possible to catch the thieves red-handed, as cutting the cables and removing them from the terrain takes a while. An alternative would be to employ a security company on a full-time basis to guard the pump stations. Compared to the cost of replacing the cables thus far, such a step might have saved the tax payer a lot of money.

These and other questions were put to the municipal spokesperson, Mr Louis Bobodi. In reply he said that various instances and kinds of theft have taken place this year. The number of cable thefts totals 150. Four Lister engines, five transformers, 21 telemetrix systems, 120 water meters and 1 000 water taps have been stolen. The copper cable used for the electricity supply to the pump stations costs about R900 per meter. The total loss suffered by the municipality so far this year has been more than R2million. To curb this loss, Bobodi said the municipality is "intensifying its security measures and exploring various options to minimize the spate of thefts."

Another question put to Bobodi dealt with the possibility that these thefts might be "inside jobs", mainly because of the apparent expertise of the thieves in committing their crimes. Bobodi indicated that this might be the case, but investigations are continuing. So far, three suspects have been arrested in connection with the thefts. One person has been convicted and sentenced, one has been released and the third case is still being investigated.