In Gauteng, public infrastructure is being destroyed faster than it can be fixed. From torched schools to stripped cables and sabotaged traffic lights, the damage has become a daily pattern across the province.
The City of Johannesburg tells the Saturday Star that these issues have become more brazen, severely disrupting services and costing ratepayers millions of rand.
Nthatisi Modingoane, the spokesperson for the City of Johannesburg, said: “Vandalism and theft of infrastructure have become a daily occurrence; the perpetrators do this even during the day with no fear of being seen."
The impact is being felt particularly with traffic management, electricity and water supply.
“Traffic flow is affected daily because of vandalised and stolen traffic light equipment. Power outages and water bursts are common. For example, the cost of rebuilding and repairing the traffic lights at a major intersection can be as much as R1.5 million,” Modingoane said.
One of the key drivers, the city said, is the illegal resale market for stolen materials. “The persistent demand for stolen materials in the illicit market drives repeated incidents in the same areas, even after repairs have been completed.”
The knock-on effects on service delivery are severe. “These disruptions have a cascading effect on other essential services,” Modingoane said.
Electricity outages in particular affect water systems, traffic infrastructure, healthcare facilities, schools and businesses.
The city's waste management entity, Pikitup, said vandalism and arson are disrupting refuse collection and increasing health risks in communities.
“Damage to waste collection trucks, bins, depots and landfills disrupts scheduled collections, leading to uncollected refuse, overflowing bins and service backlogs,” Pikitup said in a statement.
It added that vandalism of bins and facilities leads to wider consequences. “These incidents result in illegal dumping, health risks, bad odours and the spread of pests.”
Riverlea Secondary School was the latest case of arson on April 7, with the incident marking the second attack at the school.
Gauteng MEC for Education and Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation, Lebogang Maile, condemned the attack when he visited the school the following day.
“There can be no justification to burn a school. So it doesn’t matter how angry people can be,” Maile said, calling the act “unjustifiable and criminal".
Education experts warn that the damage extends far beyond physical structures.
Professor Ramodungoane Tabane, an education expert, educational psychologist and academic at UNISA, said vandalism and arson directly undermine learning and community wellbeing.
“Schools are an important part of the community and often give a community a sense of pride. A vandalised school in the community becomes a nightmare and a sore sight,” he said.
“They easily become havens for crime. Thieves can hide in them, drugs can be sold there, and serious violent and sexual violations can take place, especially where there are no security guards,” Tabane said.
“This situation means the community in general becomes unsafe. Vandalised schools make areas unappealing and increase the risk for personal injuries and property damage,” he added.
Gauteng Department of Education spokesperson Onwabile Lubhelwana said the department has strengthened its safety protocols in partnership with the police.
“The department has recently reviewed the protocol with SAPS, which includes joint identification of schools affected by crime in hot spot areas, creating response plans, and improved reporting and monitoring mechanisms on incidents of crime and violence in schools,” he said.
Lubhelwana added that school safety remains a priority. “The mandate of the Gauteng Department of Education school safety strategy is to ensure that learning takes place in a safe and conducive environment,” he said.
He stressed that vandalism is strongly condemned and actively addressed. “GDE does not take kindly to any acts of vandalism or destruction; hence, we partner with law enforcement agencies and the security sector to ensure that state property and communities at large are protected at all costs,” he said.
When teaching time is lost, the department says recovery measures are implemented. “Any forms of disturbances in the delivery of education are attended to through extra classes, including morning, afternoon, weekend and holiday classes, so as to recover lost time and stay on track with the syllabus,” Lubhelwana said.
Adding a broader perspective, Justin Suttner, general manager for sub-Saharan Africa at emergency tech platform AURA, warned of long-term consequences beyond infrastructure damage.
“The broader impact is profound. Repeated damage to infrastructure undermines service continuity, increases downtime, and places additional strain on already limited public resources. More importantly, it erodes community trust,” Suttner said.
He added that perceptions of insecurity are worsening globally. “Over time, these perceptions can have a compounding effect, where perceived insecurity discourages investment, mobility, and local economic activity,” he said.
To highlight the gravity of the situation, Gauteng MEC for Roads and Transport Kedibone Diale-Tlabela recently held a stakeholder engagement with law enforcement and municipalities to intensify efforts against road safety challenges, as well as the theft and vandalism of traffic signals and streetlights across the province.
Diale-Tlabela said infrastructure damage is undermining safety and service delivery.
“This engagement reflects our firm commitment to protecting public infrastructure, restoring traffic signal functionality, and ensuring safer roads for all road users in Gauteng.”
She added that a coordinated response is urgently needed across government and law enforcement.
“Road safety challenges extend beyond infrastructure alone. They require a coordinated, integrated response from all spheres of government and law enforcement agencies to ensure safer communities and reliable transport systems.”
Saturday Star
