Stephen Chadenga
Gweru Mayor, Councillor Martin Chivhoko, has warned residents against vandalising council infrastructure, saying the continued destruction of public property is forcing council to divert money meant for service delivery towards costly repairs.
Speaking at the 732nd ordinary council meeting, Chivhoko said council was concerned by rising cases of vandalism and theft targeting road, water, public lighting and sewer infrastructure across the city.
“It is with profound displeasure that I address the continued vandalism and theft of public infrastructure across Gweru,” Chivhoko said.
“Streetlights, signage and public infrastructure are being deliberately destroyed. This conduct is not a minor offence. It is an attack on the entire community, as vandals force council to divert scarce financial resources away from service delivery and into repeat repairs.”
He said every dollar spent on replacing a vandalised asset is money stolen from water provision, road maintenance and refuse collection.
“Council will work with law enforcement to ensure perpetrators face the full consequences of the law,” he said.
The mayor’s warning comes after council recently closed the popular ‘Love My Gweru’ monument after vandals tampered with its electrical cables, leaving exposed wiring.
There have also been reports of theft of sewer manhole lids, suspected to have been sold to metal scrap dealers.
Gweru United Progressive Residents and Ratepayers Development Association Trust spokesperson, David Chikore, urged residents to safeguard public property, saying failure to do so had ripple effects on service delivery.
“When we demand service delivery from council, we should also be seen to complement that by helping safeguard public property,” Chikore said.
He said vandalism and theft of council infrastructure derailed service delivery, as money meant for key priorities such as water and sanitation, roads maintenance and refuse collection was instead used for repairs and replacements.