During the December holidays, criminals plying their trade in stealing and selling scrap metal hit the jackpot when they took advantage of the remaining vulnerable infrastructure at Panorama Compost Site in Allen’s Nek.
Ward 126 councillor David Brand, who previously raised the issue of theft and the need for security personnel to safeguard these assets, could not believe his eyes on Tuesday, 26 January, when he revisited the plant to find it void.
“We had a meeting here in November comprising representatives from the Johannesburg Property Company (JPC), Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) and Pikitup. I stressed at the time that people were stealing the sheeting. We asked that they deploy additional security and that JMPD do drive-bys when they can,” he highlighted the crisis.
“But now there is no joy in being able to say ‘I told you so’ because nobody listened. Not only the sheeting, but the entire steel structure and framework are gone,” said an angry Brand, who estimated the size of the structure to have been approximately 900m².
“There were talks that this structure would be used as a sorting area when recycling is introduced in the region, but now it’s all gone,” he lamented.
To worsen the situation, Brand discovered that the office near the entrance and other steel structures had also been stripped.
To prove a professional criminal element was involved, the steel bolted or fixed to the ground was grinded out instead of being unscrewed or dug out. Also, the security guard at the gate confirmed that he reported the theft as and after it happened.
“This is an absolute disgrace and neglect from the City,” Brand criticised, blaming the MMC for Environment and Infrastructure Services (EISD), Councillor Mpho Moerane, for dragging his feet to prevent this crisis. “We’ve written to him, and have asked him face to face and over the telephone to give this urgent attention to the matter, to no avail,” he claimed.
Shortly after Brand’s visit, Moerane and officials from Pikitup conducted an oversight visit during which the Northsider got an opportunity to get a response about the state of the plant.
He said, “Management is putting together a plan for the future use of the plant. The vagrants living on the site took advantage and stole the structure, but we have been in contact with the Department of Home Affairs, JMPD and the police to deal with them and have them removed from the site because they shouldn’t be there. Thereafter we will get the place cleaned up and consult the community over the future use of it.”
