“You won’t get away with it any longer ...”

“Don’t steal our water infrastructure. You won’t get away with it any longer!” was the court’s message upon the conviction of a man who had attempted to steel a municipal water pump.

Johnson Zikhale (19) was sentenced to 18 months' direct imprisonment without the option of a fine by magistrate Marcel Roos in the Louis Trichardt District Court on 9 May.

Zikhale was arrested by the police when attempting to steal a water pump on 29 March at a municipal pumping station behind the municipal cemetery. Authorities were alerted to his presence in the pump station by a newly installed alarm system at the pump house.

The court took the need of the community for water into consideration. “Week after week, every week in the newspaper there are articles about people complaining … no water, no electricity, no water… The municipality can’t keep up fixing all the stuff and it is done [theft] by people who are not even contributing towards this community, like yourself … But the community has now suffered. The municipality has now suffered...

“So your need for money does not come first in the eyes of the court. This court is here to protect the community ...  The court did not even consider a suspended sentence although you are a first offender. This crime is too serious,” magistrate Roos said.

Zikhale’s case was postponed several times. At one stage, rumour had it that Zikhale had escaped. The Vhembe District Municipality, as the responsible water authority, and civil rights association AfriForum were pleased to see him appear in court in person.

“Working with AfriForum as a team has resulted in the suspect's being arrested. This is good work which will cause other thieves out there to understand that we will arrest all of them without bail. The infrastructure will be safer, and we will even add more security to protect the infrastructure,” said Vhembe’s municipal manager, Mr Masala Makumule.

Local AfriForum chairperson Mr Wally Schultz said that the community had suffered enough with water stoppages and shortages that were largely due to the consistent theft and vandalism of water infrastructure. “To date, some R5 million worth of infrastructure, including pumps and cables, has been lost. Before AfriForum got involved, not one single case had been opened … But now that we are so close to solving the water supply problem for good, we needed to ensure that all the good work we and Vhembe have done in restoring water is not destroyed by thugs who steal…,” said Schultz. He praised Lt Col Nemavholo, branch commander of the SAPS Makhado, for her exceptional determination in this case. Schultz expressed his hope that the imprisonment of Zikhale would lead to the arrest of more people who steal and cause damage to the town’s water infrastructure.

Date:16 May 2014

By: Linda van der Westhuizen

Linda van der Westhuizen has been with Zoutnet since 2001. She has a heart for God, people and their stories. Linda believes that every person is unique and has a special story to tell. It follows logically that human interest stories is her speciality. Linda finds working with people and their leaders in the economic, educational, spiritual and political arena very rewarding. “I have a special interest in what God is doing in our town, province and nation and what He wants us to become,” says Linda.

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