That law-enforcement in this country is virtually non-existent is evidenced by the seeming impunity with which criminals dug a 400m trench on Allister Miller Drive in Gqeberha, a relatively busy road passing the airport and leading to the beachfront, to steal underground cables, while also stripping cables from the street lights.
That they can do something this brazen and on this scale is mind-blowing, but not surprising.
Despite being reported last month by an alert resident when cables were first dug up in Third Avenue, Walmer, and the trench was just 100m in length, the thieves kept digging and stealing unhindered.
More than eight street lights have been stripped of their wiring and at least two have been cut down.
The Victoria Park High School sports field driveway across the road on Allister Miller Drive was also destroyed by the thieves to access underground cables.
However, this was quickly resolved by the municipality.
According to the resident who reported the trench soon after it was started, the municipality promised to investigate but nothing happened and it just kept getting longer.
Cable theft leaves streets in darkness, endangering motorists and pedestrians, and causes endless problems for residents and businesses who already have to contend with load-shedding.
According to electricity and energy political head Lance Grootboom, the sheer scale of the theft and brazenness of the perpetrators points to a sophisticated criminal syndicate being involved.
The Weekend Post reported a few weeks ago that the city was looking at deploying drones to fight crime and protect infrastructure.
Though it is still in the discussion phase, it is clear that in the face of ineffective policing, largely due to lack of resources and, in some cases, police being in cahoots with the criminals, something like this is urgently needed if we are to combat the relentless destruction of critical infrastructure in the metro.
In SA cities where the drones have been deployed, crime has declined significantly, according to the drone operators.
While the price tag for the network of drones will probably be high, the long-term cost savings attached to eliminating cable theft and vandalism of essential infrastructure is priceless.
Whatever it does, the metro must act quickly to save the little that is left from the greedy hands of crooks.
HeraldLIVE