Pioneerspark targeted for third time in copper cable theft

WINDHEK, Aug 22 – Copper thieves have targeted the same Windhoek suburb for the third time in three months, leaving Telecom Namibia customers without telephone lines and broadband Internet, and affecting about 500 individual customers.
The thieves plundered thick copper cables from the underground network of Telecom Namibia Thursday night, pulling the plug on hundreds of homes phone-lines and Internet connections.
Telecom Namibia technicians found a 600 pair primary cable copper cable again cut and stolen after an investigation when a fault was reported by a customer without services in the suburb on Friday.

“Technicians have started working throughout the day on Friday to try to restore connections. The theft incident took place along David Hosea Meroro Street last night. We hope to have everyone back in service by next week Tuesday afternoon, 22 August 2017,” Telecom’s Head of Communications, Oiva Angula said.
Telecom Namibia copper cables were stolen for the first time in the area on 20 May when thieves dug up a manhole and got hold of a 600 pair copper cable. Services were progressively restored on 26 May.

The second cable theft incident happened on the evening of 1 June when a Telecom Namibia copper cable was damaged when thieves attempted to cut and steal a 1600 pair cable in a manhole with a sharp object. This incident happened along Bernt Carlson street, between Hendrik Witbooi Drive and Erasmus Street in Pioneerspark  Extension 1, affecting customers along the following streets: Erasmus, Duncan, Dixon, Palmer, Kreft, Ebner, Davin, Carew, Fabri, Du Toit, Pfohl, Rath, Schepman, Heyn, Stoss, Range, Kindt, Gramovski, Pabst and Geiger.
The cables were spliced by technicians and services then restored on the afternoon of 5 June.
“We appeal to customers in this area to be on high alert and to report any suspicious activity to the Police. Telecom Namibia offers a reward for any report that leads to a successful prosecution of any case of vandalism or theft of its network infrastructure. Meanwhile, we apologise to all the affected customers in the Pioneerspark area for the inconvenience caused and ask for their patience and understanding,” said Angula. – Ronald Geingob