A joint awareness campaign against vandalism of water and sanitation infrastructure, is set to continue in the Western Cape, said the Department of Water and Sanitation.
“In a joint initiative to raise public awareness about the impact theft and vandalism have on water and sanitation infrastructure, thus on essential services to communities, the National Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) in conjunction with local authorities is driving an anti-vandalism awareness campaign across the Western Cape province,” said the department in a statement on Thursday.
Launched in Fisantekraal on 27 May 2022, the campaign aims to highlight the valuable role all stakeholders, including spheres of government and the public, must play to help protect this critical infrastructure and staff who deliver service.
Director of Infrastructure in the Western Cape for Water and Sanitation, Simpiwe Mashicila, warned that vandalism of basic services disrupts local municipalities' ability to meet their core mandate, which is to provide basic services to citizens.
“In the past months, destruction of water and sanitation infrastructure has reached concerning levels while attacks directed to water service delivery officers of the City of Cape Town continues to undermine service delivery efforts which are directed to our disadvantaged communities,” Mashicila said.
The recent leg of the campaign was held in the West Coast.
Late last year, Water and Sanitation Minister, Senzo Mchunu held a working session with all Water Service Authorities of the Western Cape, where the issue of vandalism of water and sanitation infrastructure was identified as one of the major problems in the delivery of basic services.
The next leg of the campaign is set to take place in the Bitou Local Municipality in August.
The joint anti-vandalism awareness campaign is expected to be implemented across the length and the breath of the City of Cape Town and districts during a period of six months. – SAnews.gov.za
