eThekwini, SAPS collaborate to prevent damage to and theft of economic infrastructure

Durban – eThekwini Municipality is working with a SAPS special task team to combat economic infrastructure crime.

The municipality is working closely with the specialised multidisciplinary Economic Infrastructure Task Team (EITT) established by the SAPS to curb damage to and theft of economic infrastructure.

This was revealed by Electricity Unit head Maxwell Mthembu in a statement on Tuesday afternoon.

Mthembu said internal investigations were also under way to expose criminal syndicates involved in the theft of critical economic infrastructure, including copper cables, electrical conductors, transformers, scrap metals, street lights, and electrical fittings.

He said the value of the stolen and recovered infrastructure registered with police between April 2022 to date ranges from R100 000 to more than R4 million, with 24 arrests made concerning these crimes. The most recent case involves the recovery of 52 LED street light fittings where two Mozambican nationals were arrested by members of the Hawks Richards Bay Serious Organised Crime Investigation working with Kosi Bay Border Management Authority.

The street light fittings were engraved as property of eThekwini Municipality.

Mthembu clarified that upon verification, it was confirmed by the Electricity Unit that the precise value of the recovered street light fittings was R151 537.96 including VAT. The initial quoted value of between R1.8m and R1.9m was an estimate without any confirmation from the municipality’s supply chain management and engineers responsible for the procurement of these items.

He said that when Electricity Unit employees arrived at Manguzi police station, a case was subsequently opened.

“The municipality’s street-lighting department is working tirelessly to fast-track the installation of street lights when outages are reported. To ensure effective maintenance and oversight, monthly audits are conducted by maintenance inspectors from the electricity department’s planning division. Unfortunately, our street-lighting department has been grappling with persistent challenges of infrastructure theft and vandalism, which have greatly hindered our operations,” Mthembu said.

He added that the department continues to conduct repairs daily and is working tirelessly towards combating issues plaguing the city’s street-lighting network. To date, more than 90% of street lights in the municipality are functional. The focus is on inspection and repairs of street lights along the city centre and major highways.

“To combat theft of infrastructure, the department has implemented a joint operation strategy that brings together teams from all regions and internal investigations have led to the disciplinary and dismissal of seven employees within the unit. We are also working closely with the SAPS Specialised Multidisciplinary Economic Infrastructure Task Team ,which gathers intelligence and carries out operations. The task team has attained notable successes,” Mthembu said.

Reflecting on the impact of the ongoing damage to and theft of economic infrastructure in the city, Mthembu said this has damaged investor confidence and could severely impact economic growth, investment, and job creation efforts.