THE City of Tshwane has lately been under siege from vandals targeting municipal infrastructure by destroying water and electricity networks.
Municipal spokesperson Lindela Mashigo said a spate of criminal incidents of cable theft and vandalism of infrastructure in some parts of the municipality is continuing at a disturbing rate.
He expressed concerns that such criminal incidents are causing a great inconvenience to residents, whom he urged for help in protecting municipal infrastructure.
“These sporadic incidents of thieving, destruction of water and electricity networks and other facilities are causing distress to the municipality’s management, hence the appeal for the public to play a role in helping to safeguard such infrastructure,” he said.
He said the incidents of criminality seemed “to be deliberate and co-ordinated with the sole aim of collapsing service delivery to the communities”.
“With the autumn season upon us, the impact of power and water outages that are as a result of sabotage, spell devastation for residents who are likely to experience electricity and water supply interruptions for extended periods, hence the importance of proactively protecting the network, assets and amenities of the City,” he said.
Cable theft and vandalism, Mashigo said, are a major financial burden on the City’s already stretched budget.
He added that the criminal acts jeopardise the functionality of essential infrastructure that is key for service delivery to communities.
“The City also calls upon community-based crime prevention organisations, community policing forums, and security companies to be vigilant in thwarting the scourge of theft and vandalism of the City’s assets,” he said.
A week ago, he said, the community of Rayton in Region 7 foiled an attempted vandalism of the substation by means of the installation of cameras which captured the activities.
“This community-oriented partnership with a private security company prevented a potential criminal act and stopped the vandals dead in their tracks. The City implores other communities to emulate the community of Rayton and safeguard infrastructure meant to provide basic services to them. Technology has proven to be an effective tool in preventing attacks on the City’s infrastructure,” he said.
Communities are urged to report any suspicious activities to the Tshwane Metro Police Department 24-hour line on 012 358 7095/7096 or the Cable Theft Hotline on 080 011 2722.
Pretoria News