POLOKWANE – “Communities must assist the municipality by watching for criminal activity that sees municipal property such as street lights and tower batteries being stolen.”

On Wednesday (November 2), community organisations in Seshego met with the Mayor John Mpe who stated that criminal elements contribute as primary causes for slow development in Polokwane.

Mpe said continuous maintenance chews up budgets already drawn and drags the municipality’s efforts back. He told those who were present that a car filled with municipal batteries taken from electrical towers was apprehended during a community patrol in October.

The municipality assembled various local organisational stakeholders at the Seshego Police Station lapa to engage on ways in which non-profit/governmental or private organisation can collaboratively improve the township from its current standards.

Seshego has steep water challenges that have caused two considerable protests, one resulting in violence.

Read more: Community Safety MEC blasts anarchy by Seshego residents

“People who abuse drugs and those who are undocumented have proven to be the problematic ones in society. We always speculate as to how many people live in Seshego because we do not really know the actual number, due to unregistered people. That is why our resources are always scarce, especially water,” he said.

Church leaders, public transport drivers, farmers, differently-abled persons, elderly, women, and youth who attended were mostly in agreement that they had a role to play in ensuring that criminal elements are nipped in the bud.

However, for criminal community organisations such as the Seshego Community Against Crime and Gangsterism, financial aid from government in order to increase resources would go a long way in ensuring that their work is effective.