Vandalism of essential municipal property continues to plague the Nelson Mandela Bay area, prompting local authorities to intensify their call for residents to report incidents immediately.
The latest incidents, captured in two photographs on Union Avenue, Scheepershoogte in Kariega, show two individuals damaging essential infrastructure – a municipal street light, whilst attempting to steal copper wiring.
These incidents occurred a day apart, just one week after another individual unsuccessfully attempted to steal wiring from the same location and was subsequently arrested by SAPS.
Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality spokesperson Sithembiso Soyaya has urged the community to take action against these destructive acts.
“We should stop vandalism before it stops us!” he stated. “Together, let us protect our community infrastructure. Preventing vandalism safeguards essential services, preserves public resources, and ensures a safer, cleaner environment for all residents.”
Soyaya emphasised the broader impact of community cooperation, adding: “Let’s work hand-in-hand to build a municipality we can all be proud of. Every report helps secure electricity for our homes, schools, and future generations.”
Reporting of crime essential for community safety
The South African Police Service (SAPS) has reinforced the importance of reporting all criminal activity, emphasising that unreported incidents cannot be addressed effectively.
“Every crime and attempted crime must be reported to SAPS,” officials stated.
If you don’t report it, it didn’t happen; not in the statistics, not in the crime report.
According to SAPS, comprehensive crime reporting serves multiple crucial functions.
It enables authorities to identify crime trends and patterns, whilst also linking suspects across different cases and creating profiles of individuals with criminal records.
Furthermore, proper reporting ensures appropriate SAPS resource allocation and strengthens overall community safety measures, ultimately supporting faster and more effective investigations.
“Your report protects you, your neighbours, and your family,” SAPS representatives noted.
- Municipality vandalism reports: 082 553 7123
- SAPS and Metro Police contacts:
- SAPS Call Centre: 041 399 0200
- Crimestop: 08600 10111
- Kariega SAPS: 040 636 3585 (Radio Control Room)
- Despatch SAPS: 041 933 0006
- Kamesh SAPS: 041 988 8301 / 041 988 8344 / 071 475 2295
- Metro Police: 079 490 0480 (WhatsApp Call Centre)
