The Democratic Alliance (DA) has requested Gamagara Municipality to schedule a stakeholder meeting with the police, Eskom, the district health office and other government departments, as cable theft in Deben derails service delivery.
Last week, cable theft left the Jan Witbooi Clinic without power for an extended period of time. This jeopardized the cold chain for the storage of essential medicines, resulting in spoilt supplies and subsequent stock-outs in vaccines and medications, like insulin for diabetics. Complaints received by the DA, prompted an oversight inspection to the facility, laying bare the devastating impact of cable theft on health care.
This is not an isolated incident. Cable theft in Deben is a common occurrence, sometimes leaving the entire town without electricity. Even the boreholes have fallen prey to cable theft, resulting in water shortages.
The DA previously convened a community meeting, appealing to residents to come forward with information, so that criminal charges could be opened. The matter is still taking a backseat and neither the police nor the Gamagara municipality, seem to be taking this attack on municipal assets and services seriously.
It is unacceptable that patients, who are completely dependent on government health care for their wellbeing, must have their lives gambled with by criminals, who care only about making money at the expense of others. It is just as unfair that criminals get to determine who has access to water and services, through acts of theft.
I have submitted a request to Gamagara municipality to convene an urgent meeting with all stakeholder departments, so that we can develop a multi-sectoral approach towards safeguarding government property and rooting out growing lawlessness in Deben. The matter will also be escalated for the attention of the Provincial Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Koliswa Otola. It is time that we don’t just feel the repercussions of cable theft but see the prosecution of those perpetrating this crime.
To help address the observed shortfalls at the clinic, the DA will further report concerns regarding the absence of a back-up power supply, as well as the turn-around time in restocking the facility in the event of damaging power outages.