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Vandals continue to cause damage to Nelson Mandela Bay Municipal infrastructure, with sub-stations, street lights, and cables the targets of criminals this past weekend.
In a statement on Monday, the Metro said the Motherwell sub-station was burgled and damaged on Saturday.
“Stanford Road street lights that were fixed over the past week were again vandalised over the past weekend, leaving this busy road dark and dangerous for pedestrians and motorists alike,” said Mayoral Committee Member for Corporate Services, Annette Lovemore.
“As if the vandalism and stripping of the Motherwell NU 30 community hall over the past three months was not enough, on Saturday the same hall was burnt down,” she said.
Lovemore said in most of the incidents of vandalism at substations, the theft of cables and electricity infrastructure, like transformers, were most common.
She said a new transformer costs around R10 million each and to buy a new one can take up to eight months.
Lovemore said two community halls in Units 29 and 30 in Motherwell have also been vandalised.
"That we have to spend ratepayer's money and time repairing damage when we should be moving forward, delivering services. We are making regular arrests, and, with the help of vigilant citizens who report suspicious behaviour around our infrastructure, we simply must win this fight,” she said.
