The African National Congress (ANC) has raised concerns that some service providers may be deliberately damaging infrastructure in and around Pretoria to create business opportunities for themselves.
Speaking at a media briefing in the capital, the ANC Tshwane Regional Executive Committee said the city is currently spending substantial amounts on emergency repairs for infrastructure damaged under questionable circumstances.
“We are of the view that some of these incidents are orchestrated as money-making schemes — acts of sabotage so that certain companies can be appointed. We must investigate how and why this is happening. We cannot allow this to continue unabated,” said George Matjila.
Matjila added that the alleged sabotage is causing prolonged service delivery interruptions.
“It cannot be normal for the city to experience recurring electricity outages and for us to remain silent. Residents are going three, four, even five days without electricity. If not addressed, this will erode public confidence,” he said.
The ANC warned that these disruptions, especially ahead of elections, could be wrongly perceived as failures of the party. “In the true sense of the word, that is not correct. We are convinced that this sabotage is driven essentially by greed,” Matjila said.
The party indicated it will soon lay criminal charges against officials it believes are involved in the alleged wrongdoing.