Promising solution to deal with vandalism and theft – Polokwane Mayor
Ongoing theft, specifically cable theft, has in recent times seen large parts of the city covered in darkness affecting street and traffic lights among others.
POLOKWANE – Polokwane Mayor John Mpe says his administration has a promising solution to deal decisively with theft and vandalism of municipal infrastructure.
In the 2023/24 financial year starting in July, he says the scope of the tendering of monitoring substations will expand to include the monitoring of cables and other equipment in hotspot areas, through electronic devices and armed responses units with a very short response time.
Read more: Cable theft needs a collective solution
He made this announcement during last Wednesday’s State of the City Address that was delivered in the Jack Botes hall.
Ongoing theft, specifically cable theft, has in recent times seen large parts of the city covered in darkness affecting street and traffic lights among others.
“The theft has now escalated to street meter boxes and miniature substations and this has huge cost implications,” Mpe said, adding that the selling of municipal infrastructure to scrap metal dealers is rife.
According to a resident, two armed robberies were reported in Compensatie street in recent weeks, with one taking place inside a complex. Even though this could not be confirmed, residents in the area maintain that this would not have happened had the streetlights been working and amid tight security from the police and the municipality.
You might also want to read: Municipality’s struggles with cable theft leaves residents in the dark
“Criminals take advantage of the situation, despite the effort to repair the faulty lights a while after,” he says.
The Limpopo Community Policing Forum (CPF) has in the past encouraged residents to form sub-groups to patrols the streets, and Mpe also had the sentiment that the patrolling security section should be expanded in the new financial year, especially in areas such as the CBD, city entrances and other hotspots.
“We are moving at speed to increase the capacity of municipal security services in terms of the recruitment of additional law enforcemers in the next two months.”
He also called on scrap metal business owners in the city to work with the municipality and the police in an effort to rid the city of criminal elements.
