GQEBERHA – Vandalism is damaging key water infrastructure at the St George’s Park Wellfield in Nelson Mandela Bay, raising concerns about the lack of dedicated security at the site.

The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, in a statement, has strongly condemned repeated criminal damage at the facility, warning that it is threatening essential services linked to the metro’s water supply system.

According to the municipality, vandalism has led to escalating repair and replacement costs, with minor repairs ranging from R3 000, equipment losses reaching up to R15 000 and major infrastructure damage exceeding R300 000.

“Beyond the financial impact, the vandalism is disrupting operations, disabling critical safety and security systems and placing lives at risk,” the statement read.

The St George’s Park Wellfield is regarded as a strategic water infrastructure asset, forming part of the municipality’s efforts to diversify supply sources and strengthen long-term water security.

Residents have been urged to report suspicious activity and assist authorities in protecting public infrastructure.

The wellfield forms part of the municipality’s broader water resilience strategy, which includes expanding groundwater use to reduce reliance on rainfall-fed dams.

Treated groundwater from the site is fed into the St George’s Reservoir, supplying parts of the CBD and surrounding areas.

However, concerns have been raised about access control challenges at the site, particularly after the withdrawal of security previously deployed at the pump station.

The municipality allegedly contracted a private security company for the pump station, but that contract reportedly ended after approximately three months, leaving the site without dedicated security.

Backbone Security Solutions, meanwhile, which is contracted by Friends of St George’s Park, patrols the perimeter of St George’s Park.

Marcel Combrinck, owner of Backbone Security Solutions, said unauthorised access remains a concern in the wider park area.

“There has been a serious problem with vagrants, and we have made many arrests in that field due to people breaking into buildings,” he shared with the PE Express.

Combrinck said patrols in the park have reduced incidents, but access routes to the pump station fall outside their operational scope.

“The access that they (vandals) use to get to the pump station is through the Union Cricket Club, which we are not part of,” he said.

“We actively manage vagrants in the park and try to get them to rehab or homeless shelters.”

He added that while the presence of Backbone Security Solutions has improved safety in the park, the absence of dedicated security at the pump station remains a concern.

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