Take a stand against vandalism, asks CoE

The City of Ekurhuleni (CoE) spends an average of R10m and more on repairing public transport facilities because of vandalism.

This is according to the CoE Head of the Department for Transport and Fleet Management, Landela Mahlati, who voiced this during the anti-vandalism campaign at Somhlolo Taxi Rank, on October 3 as the country kick-started transport month.

She said the government is spending a lot of money on repairing public transport infrastructure because at some facilities they vandalise the ablution blocks and steel structures and sometimes the guilty ones remove the paving.

The anti-vandalism campaign aimed to urge commuters and the public to refrain from illegal activities such as vandalising public transport infrastructure.

“Our message to commuters, taxi operators and the association is, can we please take ownership of our taxi ranks as the community – to ensure that we safeguard them against vandalism,” said Mahlati.

“If anyone sees someone stealing or vandalising anything, we encourage them to contact the local police station.”

When asked what the department is doing about transport diversity in Kathorus, Mahlati said the city provides buses.

However, they understand that occasionally there are shortages of buses but as the city, they have ensured that repairs are done timeously to make sure that the community is not disadvantaged.

Amid unroadworthy minibus taxies, Mahlati noted that there are still discussions between the taxi association and the national Department of Transport.

“There is the taxi rehabilitation programme driven at the national level. It has started after engagements with the taxi associations. They will bring in new minibus taxies as time goes,” she concluded.

Ward 45 Clr Nkululeko Sima said the state-of-the-art taxi rank handed over to the Vosloorus and Boksburg District Taxi Association (VBDTA) at Thelle Mogoerane Regional Hospital last year was vandalised.

He said six months after the taxi rank was opened, it was vandalised to the point that there was currently no running water and stolen electricity infrastructure.

“People who need services from the hospital at night cannot access public transport because the taxi rank does not operate after hours, but it could work for the benefit of our people,” said Sima.

He said as they began transport month they wanted to encourage drivers to drive under the right conditions and avoid drinking and driving.

“We also encourage the community to be strong by reporting minibus taxis that are not up to standard and taxi drivers who ill-treat passengers. We appreciate the taxi association who are saying they will deal with drivers that ill-treat passengers but also deal with vehicles that are not roadworthy.”

He said the city’s partnership is not limited to the taxi driver and the association. Law enforcement agencies have to play a role to ensure that they apprehend suspects of vandalism and bring in the Department of Justice (DoJ) to prosecute people who are found vandalising, he added.

“Where we are now regarding the infrastructure framework, you can no longer damage the government’s infrastructure and get away with it.

We are going to make sure that people are prosecuted; the DoJ and the SAPS are on board. We will continue to encourage a good partnership with our community.”

The general secretary of VBDTA, Bongani Joseph Nxumalo said the taxi rank was refurbished for all people and they must take care of it and keep it clean.

He also encouraged commuters to report drivers who drink and drive and those who mistreat them as paying customers.

“We do not tolerate drunk driving. Any driver found driving under the influence of alcohol will be dismissed immediately because they are putting the lives of 15 people at risk.”

Vandalism extends to traffic lights. On August 29, the CoE stated the high cost of repairing traffic lights, mainly damaged through avoidable human actions such as vehicle accidents, theft, and vandalism.

According to the CoE spokesperson, Zweli Dlamini, the city spent around R120m fixing and replacing traffic lights in the previous financial year that ended in June 2022.

As a result, they will replace some of the damaged traffic lights with stop signs at some intersections.

To report vandalism, contact the police at 10 111 or use the MySAPS app which can be downloaded from the Google App Store.

Alternatively, contact the CoE call centre at 0860 543 000 or via My CoE App.