The City of Joburg with a number of other government departments launched the Infrastructural Protection Unit at the Soweto Theatre.
The unit is focused on protecting existing and new infrastructures around the city that have or may be vandalised and damaged.
The Unit consists of the police, JMPD, the Department of Infrastructure Development, the JRA and will soon include the Joburg 10 plus framework and community based organisations once the unit is implemented on the ground.
The unit aims to render key traffic regulatory infrustacture services that will include:
-Traffic sign maintenance
-Management of road signs and marketing
-Monitoring of the road network
-Overload control
-Accident management systems
The main focus of the protection unit is to oversee and protect targeted assets on public roads and public spaces, some of the damage to assets include:
-Vandalism and theft of traffic lights and parts of traffic lights such as traffic light sim cards.
-Manhole cover theft
-Vandalism of hand railings on bridges and stair cases
-Damage to road infrastructure caused by accidents
-Bridge joint vandalism
-Defacing of traffic signs
-Installation of humps
-Storm water vandalism
The unit will look into other aspects of infrastructural sustainability such as improving the searching procedures of containers at harbours.
In addition to export and import containers, the unit will also focus on improving security at scrap yard by improve their searches and using identifiable and branded products.
These products have unique markings that can be seen under an ultra-ray light and if found at a scrap yard, the perpetrator may be arrested.
