By Luvuyo Mjekula
A scourge of vandalism and theft of infrastructure in Makhanda has authorities and residents worried and searching for solutions. Every day, criminals damage municipal and other government property and steal copper piping and cables to sell to scrap metal dealers, authorities said in a public meeting in Joza on Wednesday.
The meeting was convened by the Department of Community Safety’s district office together with the Makana Municipality at Noluthando Hall to discuss strategies to curb the crisis. Ward committee members and community development workers were part of the gathering.
A statement from Makana Municipality
Makana Municipality official, Vukile Silinga, told the meeting the rate of cable theft in Makhanda had risen significantly in recent times. He said criminals targeted high mast lights, among others, endangering the lives of residents and children. “We go to these scenes every day,” said Silinga.
The attacks leave critical facilities such as clinics without electricity, putting patients’ lives at risk. “Clinics are without power, like the one in Cobden Street.”
Residents also bear the brunt as they are left in the dark when criminals strike. Many residents flood social media groups with complaints of power outages on a daily basis.
Silinga said a recently refurbished substation in Makhanda was vandalised and is currently not in use. The financial impact of the problem affects service delivery as monies meant for one item have to be redirected for infrastructure repairs, he said.
Despite intervention from law enforcement, the vandals persist, leading to severe economic losses and potential social disruption.
Silinga said it did not help that some of the suspects were released shortly after being arrested. “We are fighting a losing battle.”
Infrastructure crime analysis
A South African Police Service analysis of infrastructure crimes in recent months paints a bleak picture. Makhanda Police Station commander, Colonel Mbulelo Pika, provided details showing a series of these crimes in Makhanda over the past three months. Pika said the Makhanda Police Station has had 52% of these cases compared to 44% in Joza. He said 26 suspects have been arrested, but admitted this was a minimal number.
According to Pika, the financial implications have been severe, with damage to infrastructure topping R1m in a three-month period. This includes damage worth more than R400 000 to government infrastructure and more than R200 000 in copper piping from the Africa Media Matrix building at Rhodes University.
Police fight the scourge
Pika said the police were trying their best to curb the crime but more needed to be done. “We monitor all these sites that buy these items and we have police offices at the sites on a weekly basis. We give dockets to specialised detectives and there have been convictions under the Infrastructure Act.”
The police have also been engaging with provincial departments, parastatals such as Eskom and Transnet as well as the municipality.
Efforts have also focused on shutting down the stolen copper market. Pika said they have closed down businesses found to be involved in buying stolen copper and cables.
However, he said engagements with communities where the culprits reside were also key. He urged residents to report perpetrators. “As the community we need to choose – either have a backbone and not buy stolen goods or entertain this scrap metal business that is killing us.”
Other stakeholders play their part
Ward 2 councillor and chairperson of the Makana Municipality Infrastructure Portfolio Committee, Ramie Xonxa said they are dealing with a “serious and dangerous” problem.
Mphithizeli Diko, a member of a local neighbourhood watch, said: “I don’t sleep at night, chasing after these criminals. And their parents insult us.”
Silinga said the formation of a task team to deal with the problem has been proposed, and added that in the meantime, Hi-Tec Security had assisted with the installation of surveillance cameras in hotspot areas.
Mncedisi Boma, Community Safety manager in the Sarah Baartman district, said the Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs department was working on legislation that would make it possible to close scrap metal businesses when necessary.
Boma called for better engagement between the police and the National Prosecuting Authority. Xonxa said a consolidated report on the situation would be presented to council when ready.
