It’s very disappointing - MP Buthelezi

M– Minister of Labour and Social Security Phila Buthelezi, who is also a Member of Parliament (MP) of Matsanjeni North has strongly condemned the theft of copper in the area.

Buthelezi said the act derailed the development of the area and does not improve the lives of the people. He also stated that the people of the area were committed to improving their lives.

The minister said the issue of electricity was more important in the country’s First World status ambition.

“This is not good news at all and I would like to urge those residents who are alleged to be involved in these criminal activities to find other means to earn a living instead of crime.

“Making sure that every home has electricity instead of using candles has been my priority ever since I was elected and I would like to warn those involved in the cable theft that electricity kills.

“Many small businesses have become heavily reliant on the internet to be able to conduct their business operations, so a disruption to internet connectivity due to cable theft and vandalism places such businesses at a huge loss and even closure,” said the minister.

HotSpotS

Reported incidents data shows that more than 80 per cent of areas across Eswatini have been identified as hotspots for cable theft and vandalism, where thousands of copper ADSL customers are heavily affected.

The incident report shows that the whole country has hotspot areas.

Cable theft causes many parts of the economy to come to a standstill and it is very expensive to replace such infrastructure in the event it is destroyed.