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The Democratic Alliance (DA) is calling for an urgent investigation into the dereliction of duty of officials who are failing to answer their phones and cellphones, as well as the absence of operational security services at the Dawid Kruiper municipality.

This comes after an electric cable in Upington was stolen over the weekend. The theft could have been prevented had senior staff and the security division been available to timeously respond to reports that someone was in the process of stealing a cable.

The incident occurred on Saturday, when a member of the public contacted me to report that a cable at a transformer was in the process of being dug up. After countless failed attempts to get hold of municipal security and municipal directors, I eventually spoke to an official in the municipal manager’s office. By the time he managed to get someone to attend to the matter, however, a cable had already been stolen.

The situation is intolerable.

Designated municipal officials need to be available for emergencies on a 24/7 basis. Afterall, municipal services do not come to a halt on weekends or public holidays.

At the same time, security services, for which the municipality is paying approximately R400 000 per month, need to be seen and felt on the ground. Had security officers been patrolling or even just responded to my call with urgency, then the theft and additional costs that come with stolen equipment, could have been prevented.

The DA will table a motion calling for an investigation into the municipality’s security services. We will also continue to push for the full operationalization of the control room, so that emergencies can be speedily reported on a single, working telephone number and also be efficiently responded to after hours.

Dawid Kruiper doesn’t have money to waste on theft or on inefficient security services. It is time the municipality gets its house on order to prevent it from being looted by criminals.

Issued by The DA