Note to Editors: Please find the attached soundbites in English and Afrikaans from the DA Councillor, Bea Campbell-Cloete.
The Democratic Alliance(DA) will write to the City of Matlosana Municipal Manager (MM), Theetsi Nkhumise, asking him to immediately hire full-time security that will guard against theft at the Zandpan Pump station in Stilfontein and other stations experiencing such thefts.
Since last December there have been at least eight break-ins at the Zandpan Pump station, cables and switches were stripped leaving the station non-functional.
On Monday thieves stole and stripped cables to a point that a whole section of the town had no electricity.
The station has two concrete palisades that are missing at the back which has not been fixed allowing for easy access into the station. The electric fence is also not working and the locks on the gates can be easily broken into.
The DA has learned that as a result of the damage caused to this pump station, together with four other pump stations in Stilfontein and Khuma, there have been damages in excess of R1 000 000.
The Zandpan Pump station has posed a challenge for the past three years, the DA has been reporting sewage overflows due to the pump not working.
Last year December the municipality finally installed a backup pump and probe which helped alleviate the sewage overflow.
However, following the eight break-ins and theft of the cables and switches the manholes overflow with sewerage, causing the toilets and drains in the surrounding streets to push back into people’s homes.
The DA calls on the MM to immediately deploy security guards who will guard the pump station, the municipality must also fix the electric fencing and install CCTV cameras to monitor the station.
Since the area is prone to criminal activities, the municipality must arrange with SAPS to patrol and increase visibility.
Instead of having a knee-jerk reaction to the break-ins and thefts, the municipality must proactively address the situation to avoid further disruptions and expenses as a result of the break-ins.