The Matjhabeng Local Municipality has bore the brunt of extreme damage to municipal infrastructure in recent years.
The executive mayor of Matjhabeng, Thanduxolo Khalipha, says the longstanding challenge has been exacerbated by the illegal mining operations carried out by zama-zama.
During a recent Safety and Security summit in Welkom, the Lesotho Minister of Home Affairs, Motlalentoa Letsosa, indicated the mountain kingdom’s willingness to work with the municipality to assist with undocumented Lesotho nationals as well as addressing the risks thereof.
“We are aware of the criminal activity that is perpetrated by undocumented Lesotho nationals as they are difficult to trace. We appeal to these perpetrators to abide by the laws of South Africa.” The minister also added that they have implemented biometrics (face and fingerprint recognition) to help minimise and trace undocumented Lesotho nationals in South Africa.
Since the new Matjhabeng administration took office in November 2021, concerted efforts have been made to rid the municipality of criminal activity and to ensure the safety and security of its residents and infrastructure, says Khalipha.
He confirms that the recruitment of new security officers was done in an effort to curb criminal activity like theft, vandalism and acts of sabotage.
New investigators have also been appointed to ensure more activity on the ground to curb criminal activity, he says.
“Since the municipality has been collaborating with South African police, these crimes have been reduced as there are more eyes and ears on the ground.”
The Free State Premier, Sisi Ntombela, congratulated the team in Matjhabeng on taking this stride towards ridding the region of crime and ensuring the safety of all its residents.
“We must use this opportunity to renew relations between government, stakeholders, and community members and use Matjhabeng as a catalyst to spread the initiative throughout the broader Free State province,” said Ntombela.
The economy is negatively affected by cable theft and vandalism. This, in turn, negatively impacts the payment of services to the municipality.
The infrastructure directorate has been hit by theft, vandalism and sabotage the hardest. Cable theft, which is a regular occurrence, cripples the municipality.
The municipality loses more than R250 000 monthly to these criminal activities. More needs to be done to protect this investment and ensure it serves the community.
Wastewater treatment plants and sewer pumping stations have been identified as hot spots in all six units of the municipality. Cable theft is the biggest challenge as it negatively impacts service delivery.
Khalipha says the groups of people who damage municipal infrastructure come highly prepared and have all necessary tools and transportation. “It is also suspected that part of the teams are qualified electricians as they know exactly where and how to cut the cable without getting hurt or damaging the cable.” He says some of the acts are purely sabotage.
