Disputes between neighbors is very common, and especially when the person next door buys something new that the other does not have, causing envy to flourish. And while there are times when talking about it solves it, there are others who prefer to take more extreme measures such as hitting, breaking the new thing or even stealing it.
In the case of South Africa, most people are betting on the latter, and that is that, as we have just learned, the African country It is experiencing a significant increase in robberies, specifically in the theft of solar panels.
Solar panels are undoubtedly one of the renewable energy sources that have the most future in some countries, since, in some continents such as Africa this element could become the main supplier of energy due to the sunny characteristics of this region.
That is why, in many countries on this continent, such as South Africa, Hundreds of citizens have decided to install solar panels in their homes, with the aim of being energetically sufficient while contributing to the preservation of nature.
As Theo de Jager, executive director of the Southern African Agriculture Initiative (SAAI) has pointed out during an interview, imports of solar panels and batteries have hit a huge boom and in just the first quarter of 2023 they have acquired five times more materials than in all of last year combined.
However, the citizens themselves have encountered a recurring problem (and it is not the high cost of the products and their installation) but rather an “Pandemic” of theft of these solar panels.
“In recent weeks we have received reports of theft of solar panels from homes, usually during the day, while owners are working,” de Jager explains. “As criminals continue to change and modify their patterns and behavior, it is essential that homeowners keep up with trends and the best ways to secure your home.
This solution has been ask the manufacturers of these plates to make them look like they are broken or have visible defects so that criminals look for others in good condition. That is why before shipping them to South African customers, manufacturers lis they remove a corner, crack or chip the glass to make it look deteriorated.
There is no doubt that this is a rather clever solution, as well as comical, and that the South African authorities have to do something to protect the property of these citizens who are trying to limit their dependence on energy companies while fighting for a greener planet.
