PIETERMARITZBURG, KwaZulu-Natal — Municipalities across KwaZulu-Natal are escalating their fight against a severe surge in infrastructure sabotage and vandalism, warning that the coordinated attacks are deliberately disrupting essential services and draining public funds. As local government elections approach, municipal leaders suspect these destructive acts are increasingly politically motivated, specifically targeting water and electricity networks to destabilize local governance.
The deliberate vandalism of pump stations, cutting of water supplies, and disabling of critical infrastructure have not only left residents without basic services but are also rapidly depleting municipal coffers. Preliminary investigations by several affected local governments have drawn a direct link between the rising contestation ahead of the local polls and the spike in these destructive incidents.
The Umhlathuze Local Municipality has been particularly hard hit, suffering approximately 13 million rand in damages over the past financial year alone.
Xolani Ngwezi, Mayor of the Umhlathuze Local Municipality, stated that the attacks are not merely opportunistic theft, but a calculated strategy to destabilize the local government.
“This is not just sabotage where people are trying to say, ‘we are stealing because we need money.’ Part of it is to portray the municipality as a failing entity,” Ngwezi explained. He noted that the perpetrators understand the political fallout of service delivery failures: “They know that if there is no water, even my own IFP people become hostile against me. If there’s no electricity, they become hostile. As the chairperson and leader of the municipality, you know, people unite when there’s no water.”
Compounding the crisis, Umhlathuze officials have uncovered evidence suggesting that these criminal syndicates allegedly involve internal collusion. Ngwezi confirmed that the South African Police Service (SAPS) is actively investigating several cases.
“The city manager recently highlighted that this is a very big, well-coordinated syndicate,” Ngwezi said. “We now have information that there is collusion amongst some of our own employees—rotten employees who are facilitating this.”
Umhlathuze is not alone in sounding the alarm. The Msunduzi Municipality in Pietermaritzburg recently launched a comprehensive internal probe into the alleged sabotage of its water infrastructure.
Mzimkhulu Thebolla, Mayor of the Msunduzi Municipality, acknowledged the timing of the attacks. “We are aware that incidents of infrastructure interference tend to increase during periods of heightened political activity,” Thebolla said. “As such, the municipality has initiated both internal and external investigations into this matter.”
Similarly, the eThekwini Municipality has reported battling relentless vandalism and tampering with its water infrastructure. Municipal officials note they are receiving reports of such incidents almost daily. These ongoing attacks are costing the municipality millions of rands, placing severe additional pressure on an already strained financial system.
As investigations continue, local governments are urging communities to report suspicious activity around critical infrastructure, emphasizing that the sabotage of public services ultimately harms the most vulnerable residents while undermining democratic processes.