Note to Broadcasters: Please find linked soundbites in English and Afrikaans by Cllr Jacky Basson.
The DA in the City of Matlosana Local Municipality is concerned with the ongoing vandalisation of electrical substations in Ward 16 by an alleged organised crime syndicate leaving residents without electricity supply for hours at a time.
The repair time at a vandalised substation takes between six and seven hours. Before repairs can be made, electricians first have to identify the problem. Electricians also only start to work at 8 am, so if a substation gets vandalised at night, residents can be without power for up to 12 hours.
The DA has engaged with the neighbourhood watch, towards a collaborated effort to improve patrols and to cut the grass around substations more regularly in a bid to improve visibility and to prevent any suspicious activity.
This syndicate is well organised and employs the same tactics every time. Criminals use the back entrance of a substation by using a special key that should only be available to authorised personnel.
To date, five substations have been vandalised over the last two months in this manner. While the police have attended to these crimes to take statements and collect evidence, no arrests have been made.
The DA has written to the Municipal Manager, Ms Seametso, requesting additional local law enforcement patrols and that the locks of the substations be changed with stricter control over officials who can access these specialised keys. See letter here.
Criminals are exploiting the ANC government’s failures to protect and secure infrastructure. Load-shedding schedules make it easier for criminals to plan their crimes perfectly, and residents suffer extended blackouts. This cycle of misery is due to the ANC’s inability to govern properly and to deliver services.
If we want safer communities, we must end load-shedding. If we want to end load-shedding we must vote the ANC out of government. On 29 May 2024, a vote for the DA is a vote towards rescuing Matlosana from the criminal syndicates that operate because of the ANC’s failures.
