Joburg to launch specialised unit to tackle R80 million infrastructure loss
The Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) will on Thursday launch a specialised unit to tackle the more that R80-million of “road infrastructure lost annually due to vandalism and theft”.“This affects service delivery and traffic lights‚ manhole covers‚ bridge hand railings‚ street signs and more‚” the agency said in a statement about the Infrastructure Protection Unit.The launch of the specialised unit‚ which falls under the Johannesburg Metro Police Department‚ will be part of a seminar at which the following topics will be discussed:- The real cost of economic sabotage;- The magnitude of Joburg’s infrastructure theft;- How much is your safety on the road worth?;- Finding solutions against theft‚ fraud and misappropriation of revenue – lessons learnt; and- Using the law to bring about change.The unit was first touted in July last year‚ when the JRA’s acting managing director‚ Mpho Kau‚ said it would be a “further major preventative measure aimed at curbing theft and vandalism of traffic lights”.He said at the time that “more than 365 cases of theft and vandalism of the city’s traffic signals have been reported to the South African Police Services (SAPS) over the past year alone”.Other measures included CCTV cameras and sensors to detect and respond to criminal acts of vandalism and theft‚ and an alternative material to copper cable being used...
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