POLOKWANE – Two residents of Westenburg were arrested for theft of municipal property this morning and released on bail.

This follows after the municipality opened a case in which the two are accused of taking asphalt from a municipal truck and using it to patch potholes without permission.

The community has been patching potholes in the last days, and had told Polokwane Observer that they used resources they brought together themselves after the municipality reportedly consistently ignored requests for the service.

Municpal spokesperson, Thipa Selala, that the asphalt intended for urgent pothole repairs was taken from a municipal truck while routine maintenance work was underway in the area.

But Westenburg’s Martha Holland told Review that the municipal workers only arrived today after seeing that the residents had been working on them.

Selala said such conduct not only undermines infrastructure maintenance efforts but also directly affects communities that rely on timely road repairs.

“We strongly condemn any interference with municipal operations and the misappropriation of public resources, particularly those earmarked for essential service delivery,” the municipality said in a statement.

The municipality confirmed it will continue to cooperate fully with the relevant authorities as the investigation unfolds.

This is a developing story.