Two security guards at the Klipfontein Pump Tower were brutally assaulted on Wednesday last week. It was the early hours of the morning when the guards were attacked and dragged over 50 metres while vandals destroyed parts of the waterline.
According to AbaQulusi Local Municipality, cables from the raw water pump were damaged and stolen.
This latest incident of vandalism left the Klipfontein Water Treatment Works without power, which directly affected water supply to the town.
Media liaison manager Spha Gumede indicated that the guards were receiving medical treatment at a local hospital after the assault. “We are deeply saddened that the two security guards were severely injured. Our thoughts are with them and their families during this difficult time.”
Ward Councillor Elaine Rodway commented that, “Malicious vandalism of municipal infrastructure should be considered an act of treason, in my opinion. But this kind of thing seems to be happening more often than most people even realise. This specific incident sounds more like deliberate sabotage than just cable theft to me, and it’s happening all over AbaQulusi. While we try to make progress and move this town forward, thugs who perpetrate heinous acts like this are holding us back. They’re not only acting against the municipality, but against the community as a whole. They must be caught and face the full might of the law.”
After an infrastructure ‘attack’ in Tshwane in January, security guards shot two armed suspects who attempted to gain access to the Public Works House. In that specific incident, ‘it is believed that the attackers were part of a notorious syndicate involved in the vandalism and theft of metals for sale in the scrap metal market’. Minister of Public Works & Infrastructure Dean Macpherson said in a statement that, “The flourishing scrap metal industry and its apparent link to stolen materials is having a devastating impact on critical infrastructure and the broader economy of South Africa.”
Last month (February), vandalism saw parts of town left in darkness for close to 23 hours when perpetrators damaged the Protea-Noord Substation.

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The news provided to you in this link comes to you from the editorial staff of the Vryheid Herald, a sold newspaper distributed in the Vryheid area.