The Department of Water and Sanitation wants government to tighten laws on water infrastructure. File Picture: Oupa Mokoena/African News Agency (ANA)
Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation, David Mahlobo has warned that they are tightening the laws to crackdown on syndicates that are destroying water infrastructure in the country.
He said President Cyril Ramaphosa has asked the Security Cluster to make it a serious offence to destroy infrastructure.
Mahlobo also called on municipalities to tighten security and use technology to monitor their water infrastructure and protect it against criminal syndicates who destroy it.
The government has said damage to infrastructure was costing the country billions of rand a year.
The Minister of Trade and Industry, Ebrahim Patel said the sale of scrap metals was leading criminals to target copper cable.
He said last year they found that cable theft was costing the economy R46 billion a year.
Transnet, Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa) and Eskom infrastructure has been targeted by criminals.
Mahlobo, who was answering questions in the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) on Wednesday, said they want to improve security to protect water networks.
“The issue of criminality and the attack on infrastructure is a serious matter and government, led by President Cyril Ramaphosa, has directed the security cluster that we tighten our laws, make it a serious schedule in terms of offences around those that are destroying infrastructure,” said Mahlobo.
He said municipalities have to come on board and also tighten security as they are faced with armed gangs who target water infrastructure.
“In some of these municipalities, the quality of security is not good. Some of them send people with a knobkerrie, when some of those people who vandalise ferrous and non-ferrous equipment, including copper ... they are highly armed with high calibre weapons and ammunition,” said Mahlobo.
He said municipalities must start using various technologies, including drones to curb this crime.
They can immediately be able to dispatch security teams when criminals tamper with infrastructure and not act after the fact.
siyabonga.mkhwanazi@inl.co.za
Politics