The police at Siloam are urging members of the community to work with them in the fight against cable theft in the area.

This comes after a group of thieves, also called Izinyoka, has been terrorizing Siloam and the surrounding villages by stealing the electricity cables. According to the villagers, the theft of the cables is one of the reasons for the poor service delivery in the area.

Several institutions, which include schools, the Siloam police station and Siloam Hospital, have been severely affected as a result, with communications to several institutions having been cut-off. The phones at the hospital are currently not working and some of the services that need networks like the Internet are also not working. This is now forcing community members, who used to apply for birth certificates at the home affairs department at the hospital, to travel to other home affairs offices for help.

The police at Siloam are now appealing to members of the community to come forward and furnish them with relevant information that can bring the culprits to book. "We are appealing to anyone who has information regarding cable theft in the area to contact us, so that we can successfully arrest the people who are behind this," said the spokesperson, Capt Itani Muila.

Anyone with information can contact the Siloam police at 073 617 1211 or 015 973 5200.