SOWETAN SAYS | Citizens must defend the infrastructure that serves them

SA is in the middle of a silent emergency – the vandalism and neglect of essential infrastructure. This crisis hampers service delivery, endangers lives and deepens inequality. Yet, too often we turn a blind eye as it unfolds in front of our eyes.

Last week, two young boys, Molefe Mthombeni and Samkelo France, both aged 10, tragically lost their lives after drowning in a municipal stormwater pond in Duduza, Ekurhuleni.

The pond was meant to manage floodwater, not claim young lives. The two boys accessed the pond through a vandalised fence, a danger that had existed for years. Their families say they had repeatedly raised the alarm about the broken fence, but those pleas went unanswered.

In the aftermath of this preventable tragedy, the Ekurhuleni municipality insists it didn’t know the fence was broken because no one reported it. That excuse, while infuriating, forces us to confront an uncomfortable truth: communities must also take responsibility for protecting the infrastructure that serves them.

Public infrastructure, whether it’s water pipes, stormwater drains, traffic lights or electricity cables, belongs to the people. When it is stolen, vandalised or neglected, it is the people who suffer.

Across the country, we witness the devastating consequences of infrastructure decay, most of it worsened by vandalism and theft. In Meadowlands, recently, residents barricaded roads in protest over electricity outages. Yet ironically, their actions made it impossible for Eskom technicians to attend to the problem.

Earlier this year, City Power in Johannesburg was forced to assign police escorts to its employees after repeated attacks, hijackings and robberies.

The irony is painful. Communities are crying out for services, yet some among them are destroying the infrastructure meant to serve them or attacking the people trying to help restore services, while others simply watch and do nothing.

Sabotaged infrastructure disrupts services to entire neighbourhoods. The cost to municipalities runs into billions, diverting expenditure from expanding and improving services.

We cannot continue pointing fingers only at the government while allowing criminality to happen while we watch. Yes, authorities must respond urgently and be held accountable when they fail to do so. But communities also have the responsibility to look after their infrastructure.

We must report acts of theft and vandalism and law enforcement agencies must crack down on the syndicates driving infrastructure theft. Municipalities must increase community engagement and invest in safety and maintenance.

But more than anything, we as ordinary citizens must defend the infrastructure that delivers services to our homes and communities, both for the greater public good and our children’s sake.

SowetanLIVE