Day: July 26, 2022

HENNENMAN – Police request public assistance in locating a missing elderly man, 82-year-old Shoti Paul Moeti. He reportedly attended a funeral on Saturday, 23 July 2022. Relatives reported him missing at Hennenman Police Station on 25 July 2022.

According to the relative, he attended a funeral and never came back home. A search was conducted by the family members at the various places he frequently visit with no success.

Anyone who may know the whereabouts of the elderly man is requested to contact Detective Constable Moselantja Chaole of Hennenman Detective Services on 071 750 2029 or 082 466 7940 or Crime Stop on 08600 10111 or MySAPS App.

Source: South African Police Service

The City of Cape Town’s Corporate Services Directorate wants to warn residents and jobseekers not to fall victim to a fake advertisement that is currently doing the rounds for ‘Trainee Traffic Officers’.

The said advertisement was issued by the City in 2016 already, and the closing date for applications was 24 May 2016. Thus, this advertisement is no longer valid.

Unfortunately, the advert is being circulated and desperate and unsuspecting people are applying for the employment opportunity.

'While the advert carries City of Cape Town details like the logo and correct website details, it is an old advert. It does not even have a closing date for applications. We understand the current job climate is extremely tough and we want to urge prospective applicants and recipients to carefully verify the authenticity of any advertisement before responding. It is very important to note that the City will never, ask any person to pay to apply for a job, or any other opportunity with the City. Any such demand should immediately alert a prospective job seeker that the advertisement is fake,' said the Mayoral Committee Member for Corporate Services, Alderman Theresa Uys.

Candidates interested in working for the City of Cape Town are invited to check the current vacancies and employment opportunities on the City's website here: Careers (capetown.gov.za)

'I further want to appeal to those who are circulating the message to please stop doing it as it creates false hope and expectations to those who are in desperate need of employment,' said Alderman Uys.

Source: City Of Cape Town

DURBAN – On 24 July 2022 at 11:30, the Nongoma Stock Theft Task Team embarked on an operation following possible leads relating to livestock stolen at Ntubane in Pongola. Police received information regarding a man who was in possession of stock suspected to have been stolen. It is alleged that the man was planning to take the 11 cows to the family of his fiancée.

The police proceeded to the identified location to further investigate however, on arrival they realised that the suspect had fled. The 11 cows were seized by police and will be impounded until the lawful owner has been located. We appeal to the community to come forward if they know the whereabouts of the suspect or the owner of the livestock. We are once again requesting livestock owners to employ more stringent measures to safeguard their cattle as it becomes very easy for thieves if livestock are left to wander unattended along major routes in the province. Those who may be able to assist in the investigation are requested to contact Captain Ntshayintshayi on 082 557 7670, Crime Stop on 08600 10111 or report anonymously via the MySAPS App.

Source: South African Police Service

The City’s Water and Sanitation Directorate has already invested R43 million to upgrade and repair 33 vandalised sewer pump stations across the city between July 2021 and June 2022. Going forward, the City has budgeted to spend over R70 million over the 2022-2023 financial year, which started on 1 July, on upgrades/refurbishment of more sewer pump stations. These efforts aim to help ensure that these critical water and sanitation infrastructure resources are safeguarded.

Sewer pump stations are an important part of the network. The majority of the system works on gravity, but in cases where the sewage must flow uphill, pump stations maintain the flow to wastewater treatment plants.

Over the next year, the City plans to spend over R70 million on routine upgrades at more than 30 pump stations. Our Pump Station Security Upgrade programme will see the addition of reinforced steel doors, concrete walls, CCTV cameras, guard dogs and security personnel, among others.

Some of these pump stations will include Spine Road, Stock Road in Philippi, Bishop Lavis, Raapkraal, Philippi Phase 4, Grey Road in Tableview and Clifton Road in Muizenberg.

Most recently, during May and June 2022 in the previous financial year (2021 – 2022), the City upgraded and completed repairs at various pump stations in, among others, the following areas: Wallacedene, Killarney in Stinkgat, Milkhood in Noordhoek, Area L in Mitchells Plain, Weltevreden Park, Site B in Khayelitsha, Bloekombos, Bokmakierie, Vukuzezele, Philippi East, Philippi West and Joe Slovo sewer pump stations.

Wallacedene pump station was torched by arsonists where the electrical and mechanical equipment required for the pump station to function were completely destroyed. This meant that it was unable to operate. This resulted in sewer overflows and flooding at the station as well as the linked sewer network throughout the Wallacedene area.

Some of the upgrades at the pump stations included a security camera system, concrete fencing, an alarm system, guard house with a guard, and physical repellent system.

Let’s work together

‘Thank you to all our affected residents for their patience while these valuable facilities were being repaired and upgraded over the past year. The City will continue to prioritise and invest over R70 million in upgrades and repairs at sewer pump stations over the next year to safeguard these critical facilities.

‘Communities play an important role too in being our eyes and ears to report any information of theft or vandalism incidents. The knock-on effect of pump station vandalism is immense because this means pump stations cannot operate and deliver the services to communities as they should. The true cost of vandalism is more than just the repairs. Pump station vandalism contributes to sewer overflows and affects healthy living environments for our residents.

‘The ongoing theft and vandalism of our critical water and sanitation infrastructure is a pain for our residents and is costing the City millions of rands. The City does not have a limitless budget. Anyone stealing this equipment is essentially stealing from our residents. It costs a lot to replace and repair, and the money could have been used for other services,’ said Councillor Zahid Badroodien, Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Sanitation.

Various City efforts are under way to help address theft and vandalism and its impact. This includes:

Offering a reward of up to R5 000 to any resident who reports incidents or information related to the theft and vandalism of water and sanitation infrastructure that lead to a successful arrest or recovery of stolen equipment. Residents can provide information to one of the City’s Safety and Security agencies like Law Enforcement and Metro Police to be eligible.

Replacing reported stolen and damaged manhole covers.

The Safety and Security Directorate’s Metal Theft Unit performs scrap yard and bucket shop visitations, patrols areas targeted by metal thieves and execute arrests, as well as following up on reported metal theft cases.

Education and awareness campaigns

Recently the City and the National Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) launched an anti-vandalism campaign, see the link: https://bit.ly/3N9VOth

‘The City is using our available resources to tackle this issue of vandalism and theft of our water and sanitation infrastructure by teaming up with the DWS. Together, we are hoping residents will help us and their neighbours by providing information about vandalism or suspects involved, reporting missing or damaged manhole covers and blocked sewers. Cape Town belongs to its people and all of us have a role to play in tackling this scourge of theft and vandalism,’ said Councillor Badroodien.

Report theft/ vandalism to be eligible for a reward

Provide information on the whereabouts of stolen property or a suspected offender, by calling 0800 11 00 77.

If your confidential information leads to an arrest or recovery of stolen property by the City’s Law Enforcement or Metro Police, you can get a reward of up to R5000.

Support efforts to improve security in your area

For help improving or creating a Neighbourhood Watch, email nw.support@capetown.gov.za or call 0800 11 00 77 and ask for the Community Safety Liaison Officer in your area to contact you.

Log water and sanitation service requests

Report vandalism damages, sewer blockages, missing drain covers, burst pipes, leaks and water wastage using one of the following channels (Please provide the street address, and get a reference number):

WhatsApp 060 018 1505

Online: www.capetown.gov.za/servicerequests

Email water@capetown.gov.za

SMS 31373 (maximum 160 characters. Standard rates apply)

Call 0860 103 089

Visit a City walk-in centre (see www.capetown.gov.za/facilities to find the one closest to you)

Caption 1 (Before): Wallacedene Pump Station after it was severely damaged by fire in May 2022.

Caption 2 (After): Mayco Member for Water and Sanitation Councillor Zahid Badroodien in front of the refurbished Wallacedene Pump Station.

Caption 3 (Before): The broken down wall of the Bloekombos Pump Station.

Caption 4 (After): Workers doing final touch ups on the newly erected steel fence at the Bloekombos Pump Station.

Source: City Of Cape Town

Algoa Water Supply System remains below average, residents urged to use water sparingly

The Algoa Water Supply System which is meant to supply water to the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality remains below average at 14.9% from 14.8% recorded in the previous week. This is according to a weekly status of dam levels report issued by the Department of Water and Sanitation in the Eastern Cape earlier this week.

Groendal Dam on the Swartkops River has recorded 20.9% from last week’s 21.0%. Kouga Dam which supplies water to the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro remains unchanged at a low 16.5%, this time last year it stood at 4.0%.

Loerie Dam on the Loerie Spruit River has slightly increased from last week’s 46.1% to 51.1% this week. Impofu Dam is at 10.1%, Nqweba Dam has lowered at 5.9% and Nuwejaars Dam has also declined to 4.0%.

The department has since reiterated its plea to residents to use water sparingly as the Metro’s dam levels continue to decline on a weekly basis, despite some light showers experienced in parts of the Metro sometime last week.

Meanwhile, the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro has scheduled several maintenance operations in various parts of the city in the current week which are aimed to reduce water losses. The planned maintenance entails a complete shutdown of water supply in Cotswold, Burt Drive - Ward 12 on Tuesday, 26 July 2022.

The shutdown will take place in Kini Bay - Ward 40 on Wednesday, 27 July, and Kwaford Village -Wards 14, 17 and 18 on Thursday, 28 July 2022. Water supply will be shut off between 08h00 and 17h00 as and when operations on the infrastructure take place.

The department is also rolling out several interventions to assist the Metro to avert taps from completely drying out as a result of the ongoing drought effects which have resulted in severe water shortages.

The interventions include, among others, the completion of the refurbishment of the Olifantskop Reservoir which will augment water to the Metro by 45 Mega Litres per day.

Other water infrastructure upgrades include those taking place at the Motherwell and Stanford Road pump stations to increase to a transfer capacity of 120 Mega Litres per day and 135 Mega Litres per day respectively.

The Motherwell Pump station has a transfer capacity of 90 Ml/day, whilst the Stanford Road pump station is limited to around 90 Ml/day due to 500mm and 700mm diameter pipelines.

The upgrades at the pump stations are done to supplement the additional available water drawn from the Gariep Dam in Free State, through the Nooitgedacht Water Scheme and transferred to the Metro’s western supply zones.

Source: Government of South Africa

The City’s Water and Sanitation Department will be shutting down the 760mm diameter water supply main from the Steenbras Water Treatment Plant starting at 08:00 on Wednesday, 27 July 2022 until 08:00 on Wednesday, 3 August 2022. This is to allow the maintenance crew to safely conduct the repairs to a pipe section and replace a faulty valve linked to the pipeline. The work will result in slightly lower than usual water pressure in the upper parts of Gordon’s Bay.

Careful consideration has been given to the planning of this work to ensure minimal disruption to the consumers in the affected area.

Water supply will be rerouted from elsewhere in the bulk water network to the affected area and consumers may experience slightly lower than usual water pressure during this period.

This work form forms part of the City’s bulk water infrastructure maintenance programme, which ensures that the supply infrastructure is maintained.

The City sincerely regrets the inconvenience caused, but it is imperative that it maintains its water supply infrastructure to the benefit of its consumers.

Source: City Of Cape Town

THABONG - A 26-year-old man was kidnapped on 19 July 2022 in Thabong and a ransom of R30 000 was demanded by his captors. A case of Kidnapping was registered for further investigation. The three suspects were arrested and charged.

On 24 July 2022 at about 15:30, information received from Crime Intelligence was operationalised by Welkom POP Unit, Thabong Task Team and Thabong Serious and Violent Crimes members leading to the arrest of four suspects.

The arrested suspects are facing charges of kidnapping, assault GBH, conspiracy to commit a crime, possession of unlicensed ammunition and contravention of the Immigration Act. The following suspects Relebohile Johannes Lebajoa (20), Rethabile Lebajoa (20) and Teboho Olifant (26) appeared in Welkom Magistrate’s Court today and the case was postponed until 06 September 2022 for further investigation.

Source: South African Police Service