Nelson Mandela Bay district – Eastern Cape

Source articles originally published in February 2025

Two years ago, a fed-up and frustrated business community in the suburbs around Struandale in the Nelson Mandela Bay district decided to take action to protect their local power stations. Their thinking was that in beefing up security around four substations they could break the loop of endless power outages linked to crime incidents. The group’s idea came together as their “Adopt-a-Substation” initiative. They used community donations to improve security and surveillance around the local substations. They’ve seen a drop in crime, more stable energy supply and they’ve changed community perceptions about their power to take action and responsibility.

What was the problem?

The plague of crime and vandalism across in Nelson Mandela Bay has in recent years come to also be marked by high rates of cable theft at electricity substations. Theft is often accompanied by vandalism and damage to this critical infrastructure. It’s meant frequent and sustained power outages.

The negative impacts of power outages include disruptions and extra costs to households. For business owners it’s an increasingly frustrating and expensive environment in which to try to make a living. The Eastern Cape is already the province with the highest unemployment.

More knock-on effects are that taxpayers’ money is lost to restoration and repairs, putting the municipality under more pressure. The municipality and the local police service also continue to be unable to tackle crime decisively, and this leaves substations as easy targets.

How did they solve it?

The local business community, which is organised as different geographical clusters, decided to lean on local service providers to support their “Adopt-a-substation” project, starting with four power substations in the district in 2023.

The funding is done as monthly contributions to ensure sustainability. They secured support from local security services providers. They also signed a memorandum of understanding with local authorities, setting up a solid working partnership.

With funding and support they have been able to pay for fencing to be put up around the substations; for 24-hour armed patrols and around the clock CCTV security surveillance at the substations.

Angus Clark, chairperson of the Struandale geographic cluster, quoted in the Daily Maverick said: “Key to this achievement has been the implementation of robust security measures.”

Nelson Mandela Business Chamber chief executive Denise van Huyssteen in their press release said: “What the cluster has done is commendable as it aligns with our efforts as the Chamber of identifying key service delivery challenges and addressing them as a collective.”

She added that local business people and residents are more aware of their role in protecting critical infrastructure. This includes reporting crime, getting involved and contributing - be it in effort or money.

Since the 2023 pilot of four substations, the project now has 20 adopted substations in the municipality, all benefitting from private security guarding.

The Chamber has noted a decline of crime incidents – in fact, none at the Struandale substation in two years.

So how did they do it:

• They devised a plan that started small but could be scalable. The initial project adopted four substations, two years later, there are now 20.
• They asked for contributions as monthly commitments and continued collaboration and support.
• They used local service providers. Local business people understand the challenges first-hand and have a vested interest in seeing the project succeed.
• They worked with the business chambers and local authorities and created formalised agreements. These set out clearly the parties’ roles, responsibilities and expectations.
• They used media coverage to highlight the successes of the project to promote economic growth in the district and to act as a reminder that the initiative can be replicated in other neighbourhoods.

Acknowledgements

Orginal articles by: Estelle Ellis, PE Express and Atlas 24

Original articles:

• Two Years of Protecting the Struandale Substation: A Collaborative Success Story

• Nelson Mandela Bay businesses ‘adopt’ substations help to keep the lights on

• Struandale adopt-a-substation initiative a success

Photograph: Atlas Security

Get your community involved

Is there a community-driven group or caring business in your area? A dedicated group of committed people can effectively solve local problems.

Think about starting or joining community groups like a street WhatsApp group, residents' association, or community policing forum (CPF) to get help and to stay informed and involved in local issues.

How to start a WhatsApp group

How to start a residents' association

How to set up a community policing forum

How to set up a neighbourhood watch

How to organise community action

How to use media to create pressure for change

Know your rights – how local government works

It’s important to understand how your local government works so that you can work with them to support what they are doing while your community continues to keep them accountable and deliver services on time. Remember you have a constitutional right to many of the services provided by local government, as well as to accountability and transparency, wherever you live and regardless of how much you earn. It is also where money collected from taxes and rates goes.