Cape Town has spent R62 million in the past financial year repairing and replacing vandalised electricity infrastructure, as theft continues to cripple street lighting across the metro – to the point where the City is running short of copper cable.
City officials this week inspected ongoing streetlight repairs along major routes, but acknowledged that vandalism and cable theft remain a major obstacle, with infrastructure often targeted again soon after repairs are completed.
Copper cable is stolen in Cape Town for its high profits from the lucrative international scrap metal market, which is often driven by organised crime syndicates.
The theft is fuelled by copper’s high value, easy recyclability, and South Africa’s vulnerable infrastructure.
Maintenance is being hampered
The City of Cape Town maintains more than 245 000 streetlights, with repair teams responding to roughly 8 000 lighting-related service requests every month.
Despite the scale of the problem, the City says it has pushed its streetlight “burn rate” (the percentage of functioning lights) up to 88.8%, edging closer to a 90% target.
However, progress is being undermined by persistent theft. During the third quarter of 2025 alone, the City recorded 805 incidents of electricity infrastructure theft and vandalism, at an estimated repair cost of R16 million.
The worst-affected areas were:
Vanguard (Area North) – 258 incidents
Mitchells Plain (Area South) – 120 incidents
Area North recorded a total of 380 incidents, followed by Area South with 260, and Area East with 165.
Copper alternatives
Mayco Member for Energy, Xanthea Limberg, said vandalism is placing severe strain on resources – including the availability of copper cable.
“Unfortunately, in many cases, infrastructure is vandalised almost as soon as it has been fixed or replaced,” Limberg said.
“The City has deployed security to monitor hotspot areas where possible, replacing copper with lower street value alternatives and we are piloting innovative infrastructure protection tech solutions.”
The City has allocated R75.5 million for streetlight infrastructure in the 2025/26 financial year, while also deploying security at known hotspot areas and piloting new technology to protect critical assets.
Still, officials admit enforcement alone isn’t enough. The City has renewed calls for residents to report suspicious activity around streetlights and substations to SAPS or the City’s Public Emergency Communication Centre.
Street lighting, the City warns, is not just about visibility – it affects road safety, crime prevention and public confidence, particularly during the darker winter months and peak travel periods.
“Protecting this infrastructure requires community involvement,” Limberg added. “The City can’t do it alone.”
