Legal action will be taken against an eThekwini Municipality employee seen allegedly stealing electrical cables, the City said in a statement on Thursday.
eThekwini Municipality spokesperson, Gugu Sisilana said the activity was caught on camera, and the footage has since gone viral.
The video of the employee went viral this week when he was apprehended by community members in the Msahweni area.
She confirmed that the individual in the video works for the City's Water and Sanitation Unit.
"He has been served with an immediate precautionary suspension while an internal investigation is under way. The employee was not on official duty when he was caught in the possession of the electricity cables. A criminal case has also been opened with the police," Sisilana said.
She added that charges of municipal property theft and unauthorised usage of a city vehicle have been levelled internally against the employee.
"The municipality has adopted a zero-tolerance approach to any fraud, corruption, or illegal activity by employees. Community members are urged to be the ‘eyes and ears’ of the municipality and report any illegal activity," Sisilana said.
She said this will help safeguard municipal infrastructure. The theft and vandalism of municipal infrastructure undermines the integrity of the city and delays service delivery.
IOL