Cape Town – The City of Tshwane has been rocked by theft and vandalism at the Mamelodi Fire Station, which was nearing completion.
A group of unidentified people flocked to the construction site and attacked security guards before stealing several items and copper cables on Saturday.
The City said the incident was not linked to protest action or people demanding contracts.
Chief of staff in the City Jordan Griffiths said this was pure theft, and would set the metro back in its efforts to serve the public.
He said a case was opened, and the criminals had stolen items worth a few hundred rand, except for the copper cables they had cut.
Anti-crime activist Michael Birwa said such acts were disappointing and disrupted the provision of service delivery, especially in communities like Mamelodi.
He said: “Tshwane needs these kinds of services because we have instances where people in informal settlements like Plastic View informal settlement, have lost their belongings several times due to large fires.
“These perpetrators must be found and punished."
MMC for Community Safety Karen Meyer said the City condemned “in the strongest possible terms” the theft and vandalism that occurred.
She said: “Security stationed at the site were attacked, with some hospitalised, as the vandals destroyed windows and doors and stripped it of electrical cables.
“We send our well wishes to the security guards and wish them a speedy recovery. We further call on law enforcement agencies to investigate the incident and ensure that the perpetrators are brought to book.
“The construction of the Mamelodi Fire Station was almost complete, with minor outstanding issues needing to be finalised before the project completion date, which was set for later this week.”
She encouraged the community to provide law enforcement agencies with information on the incident, and said the City was assessing the damage at the site and would soon determine the way forward.
The City has provided additional security at the site to prevent further theft and vandalism.
Meanwhile, Tshwane Emergency Services had to rush to save the SAPS detectives building in Rosslyn on Monday, after a fire broke out.
Deputy chief Charles Mabaso said eight offices, ablution facilities and a boardroom were damaged just after 3pm on Monday.
“A team of firefighters, three fire engines, a water tanker and three light motor vehicles were deployed to the scene.
’’It is also reported that the fire caused substantial damage to IT equipment such as laptops and computers, as well as documentation in the building,” he said.
There were no injuries and the cause of the fire was under investigation.
Pretoria News