With December’s load shedding episode still fresh in our memories, the thought of being plunged into darkness makes all of us nervous.<\/p>\n
Power outages don’t just result in fridges defrosting but also leads to the standstill of businesses who lose thousands by the hour, and not just load shedding is to blame.<\/p>\n
The theft of cables and transformers plays a large role in sudden and unannounced power outages.
\nIt also costs the South African economy billions of rand on an annual basis, with the Gauteng Province suffering damages estimated at R500 million per annum, alone.<\/p>\n
Also read: Cable thief handed three-year prison sentence<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n In a narrower scope, Middelburg itself suffers from cable theft that affects us in ways we are not even aware of. However, while certain industries view cable theft as a losing battle, a new software designed to curb its onslaught, is on the rise.<\/p>\n Early in December, the\u00a0Middelburg Observer<\/i>\u00a0held an exclusive interview with Johan Ferguson from Acu Tech.<\/p>\n We raced to meet him at the HTS sports grounds, where an incident of cable theft had occurred, minutes before our arrival. The local businessman wasn’t too perturbed by the crime committed because to him, it was a breakthrough.<\/p>\n Also read: ‘Copper thief’ caught at Optimum<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Johan is the owner of a custom made device that was built specifically to pick up on the tampering of cables and other electrical components. The HTS sports grounds was his first test subject, where he set up one of his own cables as bait. The software was programmed to not only send out a notification to Johan but also the groundskeeper at HTS. The groundskeeper incidentally happened to be in the shower at the time of the theft, and if it weren’t for that, the thieves might have been apprehended.<\/p>\n But Johan was excited to see that his device is working.<\/p>\n Also read: Still in hospital after burn wounds<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n He went on to explain that his objective is not to apprehend the thieves, but rather to alert his client of the theft. He said that his device not only picks up on the tampering of cables but also lighting, transformers and the plastic piping used by mining companies, which frequently are the targets of crime.<\/p>\n He feels that his new software will not only prevent cable theft but also spare the loss of millions of rand.<\/p>\n Should anyone wish to contact Johan from Acu Tech, he can be reached at 060 906 4158.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Parents frustrated by a lack of space in Middelburg schools<\/a><\/p>\n Traffic officers to appear in court for corruption<\/a><\/p>\n #TrafficAlert: Two dead in Kranspoort accidents<\/a><\/p>\n VIDEO: Two perish after truck jack-knifes<\/a><\/p>\n \u2022 Save our standby number (072 248 3855) and send us a WhatsApp message with the words \u201cAdd me\u201d to be added to our broadcast list.<\/p>\n \u2022 Like us on\u00a0Facebook<\/a>, follow us on\u00a0Twitter<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u2022 Subscribe to our\u00a0YouTube channel<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\nSports stadiums are losing floodlights and mining companies are forced to shut down more frequently than we’d care to admit.<\/p>\n
\nDespite the fact that the hoodlums had made off with a stretch of cable, Johan was all smiles.<\/p>\n
\nThe software works with sensors that detect any form of tampering, and then sends an SMS notification to alert his company thereof.<\/p>\n
\nHe then waited for the thieves to take it.<\/p>\n
\nIf his device can effectively notify members of the security sector of any criminal activity, then they can respond in time.<\/p>\nAlso read:<\/h3>\n
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