Tshwane accused of leaving critical infrastructure without security
· Citizen
The City of Tshwane has rejected claims of leaving infrastructure, such as power stations and substations, vulnerable and exposed due to a lapsed security contract.
DA Tshwane mayoral candidate Cilliers Brink has written to the city manager demanding urgent action, after security contracts at Tshwane’s critical infrastructure sites apparently expired without replacement arrangements.
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“As if a week of power outages isn’t enough, we have discovered all of the security at the infrastructure installations in the city, including power stations, infeed stations and substations, has lapsed. There is no security,” he said.
The biggest concern was no alternatives have been put in place, Brink said.
Apparent lack of effective access control
DA chief whip in Tshwane Dana Wannenburg has also accused the city of leaving Wonderboom Airport wide open.
“I personally drove into and out of Wonderboom Airport and was shocked by the apparent lack of effective access control and visible security.
“At a facility containing high-value aircraft, aviation infrastructure and dozens of businesses, this is simply unacceptable. If I can drive into an airport facility without encountering meaningful security controls, who else can get in?” he added.
Wannenburg said the airport was not an ordinary municipal property.
It supports more than 2 500 people, accommodates dozens of aviation businesses and records more than 148 000 aircraft movements annually.
“It is a major economic asset for Tshwane and is home to aircraft and infrastructure potentially worth hundreds of millions of rands. Yet the city allowed its previous security contracts to expire on 30 September,” said Wannenburg.
The city’s attempt to reassure residents by saying the Tshwane Metropolitan Police Department (TMPD) is coordinating interim measures does not remove the fundamental concern that security at a high-risk aviation facility should never depend on last-minute contingency plans, he added.
City rejects claims of security failure
However, the city’s MMC for community safety, Hannes Coetzee, has rejected “misleading attempts by the opposition to create unnecessary panic about the security of the city’s critical infrastructure”.
Coetzee said suggestions the city simply abandoned the protection of its infrastructure, or that no contingency measures were put in place, are incorrect and amount to unnecessary fearmongering.
The contracts had already been extended while the city finalised a new procurement process, Coetzee added.
“The appointment of new service providers has taken longer than expected due to the necessary supply chain and probity processes, which are now being finalised.
“Despite this, throughout the transition, the city has prioritised ensuring continuity of security at critical municipal assets, with both the political and administrative leadership actively managing the situation,” said Coetzee.
He added TMPD was coordinating enhanced interim security measures across Tshwane, including the deployment of the metro police department’s personnel to protect critical municipal assets and infrastructure.
“TMPD is also working in partnership with several private security companies that have voluntarily stepped forward to assist the city during this transition period.
“These partnerships are strengthening the city’s security capacity and include enhanced surveillance and technological interventions to monitor critical infrastructure and support the City of Tshwane’s broader security response,” added Coetzee.