DA calls on residents to report incidents of metal theft crippling infrastructure in Ward 92
by Cllr. Kade Guerreiro — DA Councillor in Ward 92, Ekurhuleni
Date: 22 April 2022
Release: Immediate
Type: Media statement
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Ekurhuleni calls on residents of Ward 92 to report incidents of metal theft to Metro authorities. The scale of the theft of metal and scrap has massively increased over the last few months and is rendering the ward’s infrastructure perilously vulnerable. The metal and scrap spans anything from manhole covers to electricity cables.
The City of Ekurhuleni spends millions of Rands each year and thousands of man-hours trying to repair, replace and protect the infrastructure from criminal syndicates. As such, precious resources are being used to ensure the integrity and protection of the infrastructure as opposed to channelling them to the Ward’s betterment.
Since November 2021, the Ward has reported the following incidents:
· 48 cables stolen from homes,
· three stop signs were stolen,
· four manhole covers were stolen,
· two stormwater supports were stolen,
· 15 streetlight cables cut and stolen,
· two streetlights were completely removed and stolen,
· two train stations were vandalized beyond recognition,
· seven sub-station doors stolen, and;
· unquantified meters of highway fence stolen.
Unfortunately, these incidents have put added strain on the Department of Energy in their response to power outages in the Germiston area due to theft and vandalism of infrastructure. The situation has been exacerbated by load shedding. While they are doing everything within their power to assist residents, the turnaround time on issues is prolonged due to the constant need to replace stolen cabling or repair damaged infrastructure. Law enforcement is also doing all they can, however, they too are struggling to cope due to their lack of resources available in relation to the proliferation of metal theft.
The governing Multi-Party Coalition in Ekurhuleni, as part of their “back-to-basics” approach, is working tirelessly to ensure that service delivery is up to a standard that residents expect. Infrastructure theft and vandalism, however, poses a major obstacle to achieving these goals. The DA is thereby calling on residents to continue to report incidents of metal theft to the following numbers:
SAPS — 10111
EMPD — 0860 543 000
Crimestop — 0800 555 111
The more the City and law enforcement know about how these syndicates operate, the better they can allocate resources to respond more efficiently. In addition, the DA calls on residents to desist from buying stolen metal and supporting the trade of stolen copper. The theft and vandalism is a scourge on our communities and a hindrance to much-needed service delivery that our residents desperately need.
See link to video here:
https://www.facebook.com/DACityofEkurhuleni/videos/565623398118869
Cllr. Kade Guerreiro
DA Councilor in Ward 92 Ekurhuleni
