City bemoans cable theft near ‘unlawfully-occupied’ land in trendy Cape Town suburb

The City of Cape Town says repeated cable theft and vandalism has cost taxpayers around R8 million in Lower Woodstock.

The damage has targeted electrical infrastructure in and around the Tide Street Substation. Some of the equipment was brand new.

The City says the incidents are linked to criminal activity near the “unlawful occupation” of Transnet-owned land, on the fringes of Lower Woodstock.

The neighbourhood has undergone significant gentrification in recent years. It is now home to coffee shops, bars, restaurants, supermarkets, art galleries and the popular Old Biscuit Mill market.

The City warns that the damage poses a threat to electricity supplies for residential and commercial customers in the area. The latest incident was reported on 2 November 2026.

Some damaged medium-voltage cables also remain unfixed. This is because shacks have been built over them, making repairs difficult.

“This situation is unacceptable, dangerous to the perpetrators and surrounding communities and a complete waste of public funds, as the damage has to be fixed repeatedly at great cost,” the City of Cape Town said in a statement.

Cable theft impacts electricity infrastructure and MyCiTi services

The targeted infrastructure includes substations, cables, switchgear, control panels and transformers.

Both low- and medium-voltage equipment have been affected.

Cable theft and vandalism has also impacted MyCiTi operations and infrastructure in the area.

The City noted that streetlights along the MyCiTi route from the Culemborg Safe Spaces Shelter to Paarden Eiland remain out of order as a result of the damage.

The municipality says the situation is “completely unsustainable,” with the estimated R8 million in damage excluding labour and other repair-related costs.

City monitoring area amid ongoing eviction battle

All recent and historical incidents have been reported to SAPS for investigation.

City law enforcement is also monitoring the area. Meanwhile, officials are exploring ways to better protect electrical infrastructure.

The land occupation has also become the subject of an ongoing legal battle.

Transnet secured an eviction order, but occupants appealed the ruling to the Supreme Court of Appeal. This has suspended the execution of the order.

The City and Transnet are appealing the ruling, citing risks to public safety, service delivery and electricity supplies to residential and commercial customers.

The City says it will continue exploring anti-theft and vandalism measures across the metro.