Normal security measures have utterly failed to protect especially waste water and sanitation plants from cable theft and and looting, says the Golden Triangle Chamber of Commerce (GTCoC).
In the most recent known incident, cable thieves struck at the Rietspruit waste water plant last week, stealing cables and wrecking the plant before assaulting two security guards.
Security, or rather lack of it, has emerged as a “make or break” issue for the Vaal River clean-up project which has been dragging on for months since Water and Sanitation Minister Senzo Mchunu re-launched it since taking office late in 2021.
One of the key stakeholders in the Vaal River and community sewage pollution project, the GTCoC, says the Department of Water and Sanitation and ELM have thus far failed completely on security for the refurbishment project despite numerous warnings.
Deputy Water and Sanitation Minister David Mahlobo, however, said in January that a secret security plan was being worked on to secure refurbished sanitation infrastructure by implementing agent Rand Water.
Another leading business stakeholder, Vereeniging Business Cooperation (VBC) supported the GTCoC and convened a high-powered meeting with ELM Mayor Sipho Radebe and the SAPS in Vanderbijlpark on security last Friday.
Both the GTCoC and VBC were adamant that extraordinary security measures should be taken due to the importance of the Vaal River sewage pollution project to business and tourism revival in the region.
This should include, not only a completely new security model, but also urgent consideration on making SWWP a national keypoint similar to ArcelorMittal and SASOL.
“How many millions more must be wasted before DWS, Rand Water and ELM realise that normal security companies – on which they ineffectually spend millions every month – simply cannot stand on their own against highly-organised cable thieves,” said GTCoC CEO Klippies Kritzinger.
VBC Director Kevin Jackson also lashed official inaction, saying suspicions were growing that many government and municipal officials – including security company owners – were benefiting from ineffectual and superficial security and cable theft.
“What other explanation can be given for such ongoing incompetence and failure to act on the obvious – and while they spend more than R12 million per month on non-existent security,” said Jackson.
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