An eThekwini Municipality employee was caught allegedly stealing municipal electrical cables and a video of the incident has gone viral on social media. The municipality has since taken action against the man.
Gugu Sisilana, spokesperson for the eThekwini Municipality, confirmed that the man in the video was employed by the city’s Water and Sanitation Unit and that he had been served with an immediate precautionary suspension while an internal investigation is under way.
“The employee has been charged internally with a case of municipal property theft and unauthorised usage of a municipal vehicle. The employee was not on official duty when he was caught in possession of the electricity cables. A criminal case has also been opened with the police,” she said.
The video of the employee went viral on Wednesday November 15 when he was apprehended by community members in the Msahweni area.
“Community members are urged to be the ‘eyes and ears’ of the municipality and report any illegal activity. This will help to safeguard municipal infrastructure. The theft and vandalism of municipal infrastructure undermines the integrity of the city and delays service delivery,” said Ms Sisilana.
The city urges the public to report any fraud, corruption and maladministration to the City Integrity and Investigations Unit (CIIU) on 0800 20 20 20. All services rendered by CIIU are free and the identity of the whistleblowers is protected.
