Public works DG decries internal sabotage

Director-general of public works Sifiso Mdakane has sounded an alarm on incidents of sabotage that have allegedly taken place at the department’s head office.

The DG accused individuals of tampering with electricity and water infrastructure, causing outages that have disrupted operations at the department’s CGO Building in Pretoria.

This was revealed in an internal letter addressed to staff in the department, which this publication has seen, warning that the sabotage has extended to damage to ceilings and other key infrastructure.

“These deliberate acts have severely impacted the department’s service delivery mandate, forcing regular office closures, reducing staff working hours and delivering substantial disservice to our customers and clients,” he said.

Mdakane pointed to preliminary information which he said indicated this was being orchestrated internally by individuals who might be aggrieved and possessed technical knowledge of power and network systems.

The department has vowed to act against those responsible, saying it took a “dim view” of these illegal activities.

“Deliberate sabotage constitutes a heinous crime and can lead to lengthy imprisonment. Such vandalism harms citizens and undermines the functioning of the state.”

The department said it would sniff out these criminal elements.

“The department is undertaking an intelligence-driven operation, under the guidance of law enforcement agencies, to investigate and bring the perpetrators to book swiftly. These acts of anarchy will no longer be tolerated.”

Tampering with water, electricity and infrastructure is a sabotage action that is counterproductive, infringes on the rights of other citizens and warrants the harshest possible punishment under the law.

—  Sifiso Mdakane, director-general of public works

Mdakane urged staff to blow the whistle and share information so that the criminals could be caught “red-handed” and brought to book.

“Tampering with water, electricity and infrastructure is a sabotage action that is counterproductive, infringes on the rights of other citizens and warrants the harshest possible punishment under the law.

“The department reassures all hardworking staff that it is tackling the issue head-on and will continue to protect the department’s operations from disruption.”

Meanwhile, public works minister Dean Macpherson’s spokesperson said the minister was fully aware of the sabotage incidents.

De Villiers added that the incidents followed tip-offs to the minister, suggesting that the communication between Macpherson and Mdakane’s office may have been subject to unauthorised interception or monitoring.

“In response, the minister formally requested the intervention of the minister in the presidency responsible for state security, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, as well as the State Security Agency, to investigate the matter.”

De Villiers said the minister remained deeply concerned by these repeated attempts to undermine the reform programme currently under way.

These reforms include efforts to strengthen governance, root out maladministration and advance structural reforms such as the establishment of the Property Investment Vehicle to unlock the value of the state’s property portfolio.

De Villiers said these attempts would not deter the work being undertaken to restore accountability and integrity within the department.

“The minister fully supports the director-general’s determination to ensure that those responsible are held accountable, and the department will work with all relevant law enforcement agencies to identify and apprehend those responsible for these acts and pursue all necessary measures to ensure accountability.

“Criminality and the misuse of public institutions can never be tolerated, and the reform process will continue,” De Villiers said.