Criminals now even stripping bridges
It was then when he realised that several marauders fearlessly make work of stripping the bridge all through the night until early morning.
Criminals are slowly but surely stripping a bridge in the Moot.
It all started two weeks ago on 25 July, said a resident of Kilnerpark, Cobus Weber.
He referred to the bridge in CR Swart Street that runs over the railroad.
“This bridge is being stripped of its steel pillars which are meant to support the safety bars,” he said.
Weber told Rekord that he was woken up by a loud banging early on a Thursday morning.
“I went to see what could possibly be making that noise,” he said.
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He got into his car around 03:45 to investigate the noise.
“I drove around for a while, but didn’t see anything,” he said.
Weber said he even drove to Koedoespoort to find out the ins and outs of the mysterious banging.
“It was only when I arrived home that I heard the banging noises again.”
Weber went out in his car again.
It was then when he realised that several marauders fearlessly make work of stripping the bridge all through the night until early morning.
“When they saw my vehicle coming closer, they fled,” he said.
“I take it the first time I drove past, they were hiding and that is why I didn’t see anything.”
He said marauders chopped until the screws came loose and removed the steel pillars.
“Both sides of the bridge have been damaged thus far,” he said.
“By Saturday, criminals managed to steal almost all the iron strengthening poles. On the other side of the bridge, four have been stolen so far.”
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He said this crime had major repercussions.
“If a vehicle were to lose control on that bridge, there will be no safety bars to stop it,” he said.
Cobus’s wife, Sanette Ferguson, said criminals that are stripping infrastructure, are a problem in the area.
“In Kilnerton Street, between Kilnerpark and Colbyn, every day another pole is lying on its side stripped of cables and there is almost no lamp pole left in working condition,” she said.
“It is alarming, since the road is very narrow and dangerous, with no lighting at the critical blind spots at corners.”
The local ward councillor of the area, Roelof Fourie, said he was not aware that the bridge was being stripped.
He, however, added that the same problem became apparent a while ago at the Lynette Street bridge.
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