THERE might be a way to effectively curb the spiking incidents of vandalism and cable theft that have the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro up in arms, but this solution, in the form of a state-of-the art vehicle, is allegedly in a state of disrepair itself.
The mobile surveillance vehicle (MSV) that was purchased in 2010 for approximately R6 million, during the Soccer World Cup, has apparently been standing locked up in a building for the past six to eight months.
Safety and security spokesperson for the DA, Gustav Rautenbach, said that it recently came to his attention that one of the best investments the metro has ever made is standing not utilised, due to a faulty camera, among other issues.
According to Rautenbach, when the MSV was commissioned, more than a decade ago, it was also tested in his ward. The operators of the vehicle parked the MSV approximately four kilometres away and could identify from that distance, the exact object and colour of the object that Rautenbach was holding in his hand where he was standing outside his door.
“According to the information that I received, the MSV has a 360 degrees state-of-the-art camera with a range of approximately 20km mounted on its roof. It also has state-of-the-art sensors, a daylight camera, and thermal imager that is capable of detecting a person 7km and a vehicle 10km away, in the dark,” Rautenbach explained.
He added that the MSV was previously used to fight underground and overhead cable and copper theft.
The vehicle could operate without headlights at night and still send coordinates of suspects committing a crime to law enforcement.
“This MSV could have helped to curb the current problem of cable theft and vandalism that the metro is facing, especially with regard to the many out-of-order traffic lights.
“The vehicle could be parked on a hill overlooking Stanford Road or the R75, for instance, and catch cable thieves red-handed. It could help gain information to build a criminal case against suspects, aid the recovery of stolen property and prevent crimes,” he said.
He added that unfortunately, this solution cannot currently be implemented because there is no one in the metro that is able to repair the vehicle’s camera. Apart from that, the software needs to be updated and there is allegedly no maintenance plan on the vehicle.
“Unfortunately, no provisions were made in the budget for repairs and maintenance of this vehicle. The MSV is very valuable to Nelson Mandela Bay and it will be catastrophic for the metro if it becomes non-operational as a result of insubstantial equipment.”
He added that there are also nine trailers with mobile surveillance cameras that were used to assist the MSV with crime combating but some of these are out of order too.
“All of these could have been implemented to also curb gangsterism. The MSV plays an extremely vital role in the curbing of crime and less crime means a boost for our economy, with residents and businesses feeling safer.”
He added that although there has not been a single safety and security meeting so far, he will make it his duty to try to secure funding for the repair of the MSV.
MMC for safety and security in the metro, Lawrence Troon, said that Rautenbach is absolutely right: the MSV, including the trailers, will definitely help to curb vandalism but he doesn’t know where the MSV is. “I have been asking this question since last year because I’m looking for the vehicle myself but no one can tell me. I don’t bite the story about there not being a budget. Since 2010? How is that possible?”
Troon said that the main problem here is that someone needs to be held accountable but that there has been no consequence management whatsoever. “I also don’t know where the trailers are. This whole department needs to be cleaned out.
“Since 2017, more than R1 billion has been lost to vandalism and no one is being held accountable. If one compares the money lost to vandalism with the cost of repairing the vehicle’s camera, you might as well repair the camera.
“People in this metro are thriving on the current instability but as soon as stability has been restored, there will have to be consequence management,” he said.
