The Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) calls on the Tshwane Metro to provide clarity on how damage to municipal infrastructure – whether caused by crime, accidents or construction work – is handled.
At present, criminal charges are not always lodged with the police in all cases of intentional damage, such as cable theft. Consequently, such crimes are often not investigated and arrests are mostly made only when offenders are caught red-handed.
This failure also has a direct financial impact on the Metro seeing as it cannot submit insurance claims without a police case number.
So, the Metro is paying insurance premiums, but cannot make use of the cover it offers. As a result, repair costs are paid from the Metro’s budget and, ultimately, taxpayers foot the bill.
Damage caused by vehicle collisions, accidents or construction activities should be treated as equally serious.
Every incident should be formally recorded, the responsible parties should be held accountable, if possible, and insurance claims should be submitted.
The Freedom Front Plus wishes to point out that the uncertainty currently surrounding reporting and cost recovery could cost the Metro millions while undermining the protection of public infrastructure.
A comprehensive, transparent and consistent process is essential for limiting damage and distributing the financial burden fairly.
The Metro needs to explain and improve the process as soon as possible, demonstrating to the public that infrastructure damage is taken seriously and that costs are not unfairly passed on to the people.
