The Democratic Alliance (DA) calls on Gamagara municipality to urgently fix glaring security failures at Olifantshoek’s boreholes despite paying R2.6 million per month for private security.
This follows yet another cable theft incident at one of Olifantshoek’s 14 boreholes on 14 February 2026. While we commend SAPS for the swift arrest of a suspect charged with damaging and tampering with municipal infrastructure, the arrest of a single individual does not solve systemic failure in the municipality.
For years, Olifantshoek’s boreholes have been soft targets for vandalism and theft. In 2024 alone, eight of the 14 boreholes were vandalised and stripped, triggering a prolonged water crisis that left residents without reliable access to water for months.
The continued reliance on one municipal employee to monitor infrastructure points, scattered kilometres apart, is negligent. Concentrating security guards at municipal offices only, while boreholes remain exposed, is a serious misallocation of resources.
The DA has repeatedly raised concerns about the municipality’s security contracts and the glaring lack of effective protection of municipal infrastructure, particularly borehole sites. Yet no corrective action has followed.
The lack of accountability for the R2.6 million every month, is even more alarming given that Gamagara spends approximately R1.2 million per month on water tankering while boreholes remain poorly secured, choosing instead to remain dependent on outsourced contracts.
Gamagara cannot leave critical water infrastructure exposed while millions are paid out every month on security services, which are not efficiently distributed, and tankering.
The DA will monitor implementation of financial commitments made towards the procurement of municipal water tankers and intensify pressure on the municipality to urgently close security gaps by redeploying guards to high-risk borehole sites, installing surveillance cameras and alarm systems, and implementing routine patrols.
Olifantshoek’s water security must no longer be held hostage by negligence and gross inaction.