The DA in Mkhondo will write to the MMC of Technical Service, Mary Thwala, and request her to work with the South African Police Service (SAPS) and investigate the rampant cable theft in Mkhondo.
Recently, the municipality has been battling with cable theft. On a weekly basis, reports emerge that cables have been stolen, leading to continuous power outages.
Despite this, the municipality has been reluctant to work with the SAPS. On a number of occasions, private security companies have managed to locate the suspects. However, there have not been much intervention from the police and the municipality.
Seeing that the municipality is spending millions to replace these stolen cables and related infrastructure, it is worrisome to note that not much has been done to clamp down on this cable theft syndicate.
Campaigns on social media to raise awareness about cable theft won’t do much to stop criminals from committing this crime, and the municipality’s lack of concern for the issue poses a severe threat to the town’s economic development.
Ratepayers and businesses cannot afford to be subjected to additional power cuts. Moreover, the municipality’s leadership needs to step up and review all their infrastructure, and implement changes in order of priority.
Cable theft hotspots should be identified urgently and long-term solutions should be implemented to deal with this crisis.
The municipality’s lethargic approach in dealing with this matter is really concerning.
The municipality needs to take care of its infrastructure, cable theft is a serious offence and should be tackled head on.
In our letter, we will urge MMC Thwala to urgently deploy the municipality’s law enforcement to patrol areas identified as hotspots and be more visible in the evening.
The DA will continue holding the municipality accountable and making sure that they are responsive to the needs of the community.