Steve Tshwete Local Municipality is unable to safeguard its infrastructure for 24 hours.
Press Release by Stefan Smith DA Councillor Steve Tshwete Local Municipality
This exposes critical infrastructure to theft and vandalism.
We have asked the Municipal Manager to look into this and come up with another plan.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Steve Tshwete calls on the Municipal Manager, Mandla Mguni, to devise a plan aimed at improving the protection of municipal infrastructure at night.
Last month, during an Ordinary Council Sitting, the municipality revealed that there are only 27 Law Enforcement Officers serving the entire municipality. Concerningly, the municipality also stated that Law Enforcement operations end at 10pm and that there is no plan to introduce 24-hour shifts.
This is unacceptable because the municipality is confronted with an increase in cable theft, vandalism and attacks on electricity infrastructure.
Notably, the municipality is refusing to provide the amount spent replacing stolen cables and repairing damaged infrastructure. This information is critical for public accountability and understanding the financial impact of infrastructure crime on ratepayers.
Instead of providing the requested figures, the municipality merely stated that the matter had been referred to the Executive Director of Infrastructure Services.
With this in mind, our letter to the Municipal Manager demands the following:
The immediate release of the outstanding response detailing the total expenditure incurred due to cable theft and vandalism during the past 12 months.
A report detailing the percentage of the electricity budget being diverted from service delivery towards repairs caused by criminal activity.
New plans on how the municipality will safeguard substations, cables, and other critical infrastructure after 10pm.
Residents deserve to know how much infrastructure crime is costing them and what steps the municipality is taking to prevent further losses. Every rand spent repairing vandalised infrastructure is a rand that could have been invested in improving services for our communities.
The DA will not relent until the municipality takes accountability and prioritise the safeguarding of critical infrastructure.