City ‘winning war’ on vandalism insurance costs
ALTHOUGH insurance claims from vandalism of city property are still high, the City of Cape Town is confident they are winning the war on this, especially over the holidays.
Since July last year, libraries and clinics have submitted 118 insurance claims between them, totalling nearly R800 000 – largely as a result of theft, malicious damage to property, and burglaries. Of the claims at clinics, only 12% were the result of accidental damage like burst geysers and pipes.
“Vandalism of community facilities is problematic,” said JP Smith, mayco member for safety and security. “Not only does it disrupt vital services to some of the most vulnerable individuals in a community, but it also has an impact on staff and community morale.
“It leaves the City in the position where we have to stall new developments and improvements planned for our clinics and libraries, because we’re having to divert funds to fix and replace vandalised or stolen infrastructure.
“At our libraries, the theft of cables and computers can often leave a community without access to SmartCape services, and therefore the worldwide web, for months. The delay in regaining connection is particularly long in cases where the Telkom cables are stolen.
“Many people rely on our library computers and free internet service to look for jobs and for correspondence learning, and the lack of connection has a massive impact on their lives.
“We are rolling out broadband infrastructure to our libraries as quickly as possible in the hope that it will reduce the risk of cable theft in future.”
City Health has submitted 60 claims between July 2016 and 7 April 2017 at 31 facilities, totalling just under R400 000. During the same period last year, the department submitted 104 claims for over R750 000. Nyanga Clinic has accounted for 11 of the claims.
The City’s Library and Information Services Department has submitted 58 claims, totalling nearly R380 000 thus far this financial year. Delft Library has amassed 10 claims in the current financial year, and while Hanover Park Library has submitted three claims, amounting to R130 000.