HIGHVELD – Mr Benzi Soko, Govan Mbeki Municipality’s chief of staff, believes that cable theft negatively affects the economic activities of the municipality.
In a media statement, Mr Soko said the cable theft has been going on for a long time, resulting in serious repercussions.
He said it makes Govan Mbeki Municipality unattractive to business investment, thereby crippling their potential for economic growth.
“It’s a criminal offence that must be condemned in the strongest possible terms.
“The police should ensure that those responsible for this crime, are arrested and jailed.
“What is disturbing is that this crime is committed by people living in our communities and they also complain, like law-abiding citizens, about electricity outages, yet they are the per perpetrators.
He said in order to fight this successfully, residents should do their civic duties and expose these criminals.
According to Mr Soko, residents should take a stand that states they will not buy stolen goods, including power cables.
“If we can all adopt this community stance against cable theft in particular and all crime in general, we can go a long way in defeating criminals in our midst.
“The Office of the Executive Mayor will be embarking on a series of programs this year and the Anti-Crime Campaign will form part of these activities.
“The cable theft crime will be highlighted as one of the crimes affecting the economic development and growth of this municipality, because it discourages investors.”
