Local Government, Environ-mental Affairs and Development Planning
In light of the ongoing acts of vandalism and theft of municipal infrastructure in the province, particularly in the City of Cape Town:
(1) What collaboration exists between his Department and the municipalities in the Western Cape to prevent and/or address the aforementioned concerns;
(2) whether his Department monitors acts of vandalism and theft in municipalities; if so, what are the trends recorded in this regard;
(3) whether his Department has engaged with the national government for support in countering vandalism and theft at municipal level; if so, what are the relevant details?
16 (1) Currently no collaboration exists between the province and municipalities to specifically address vandalism and theft of municipal infrastructure. Most municipalities in the province view this as a petty theft issue and do not necessarily classify it as being premeditated or related to organised crime.
16 (2) Vandalism and theft of municipal infrastructure is rife in most municipalities in the province. These acts of theft and vandalism are more prevalent in municipalities where substance abuse is rife. These incidents are not officially recorded in the province. The actual cost of replacing and repairing municipal infrastructure damaged due to vandalism and theft in the municipalities is not recorded as it is funded from operational budgets.
16 (3) To date, my Department has not engaged with the national government regarding this matter. However, due to the extent of the problem, there is a definite need to address is.
