A housing project in Emjindini has been delayed due to rampant theft of building material.
Contractors – Asishiyelane and Khaselihle – claim they cannot complete the project in time as people keep stealing their materials.
Justice Hlabathi, project manager for Asishiyelane said the company was appointed to build 150 houses in Umjindi and given a deadline of March 30.
“We have already started to build 135 houses with some already fully built and others near to completion. Unfortunately our progress is being halted by thugs who are stealing window panes, glass and door frames, especially in most of those unoccupied stands where we are building. This will lead to us not completing the project in time. It is not that we don’t have enough finances to do it, but the rampant theft will cause that,” said Hlabathi.
He said at one stage they contemplated abandoning the project. “The local community and police are not helpful either. The community is the one which is perpetrating the theft by buying this stolen material from the thugs. If these thugs have no market to sell the material, they won’t steal it.
“The police have also let us down on several occasions. One was caught red-handed stealing bags of cement on our storage site and handed over the police. Before the sun dawned on his arrest, he was out and came back to our site bragging that he had been released. Our workers accommodated at the storage site are being robbed and assaulted every now and then. We can’t tolerate this anymore. We are here to assist the community of Umjindi to have shelter over their heads, but if things continue like this, we will have no choice but to abandon the project.”
Lucky Bhembe, community-development worker said they recently revitalised the community policing forum (CPF) to assist the contractors.
“Those thiefs who are destabilising government efforts to provide essential services to the community must know that we are on their heels. Our revitalised members of the CPF with the assistance of the police are working day and night to deal with you. Also, those who will be found in possession of these stolen items will be dealt with. If anyone might have mistakenly bought some of the reportedly stolen items, it’s better to voluntarily bring it back now before they face the might of the law,” said Bhembe.
