Vagrant blamed for East Beach vandalism
More stringent measures in pipeline
A VAGRANT suspected of continuously damaging the ablution facilities at the East Beach dunes parking lot has been removed by the police.
The ablutions have been struck repeatedly by vandals over the years, who on previous occasions smashed the sinks to steal the metal taps and pipes, broke toilets and stole mirrors.
An outside pipe has been left gushing water after similar theft of copper.
Last Wednesday, a resident who asked to remain anonymous, told TotT he had gone for an early morning walk on the beach and came across a similar sight.
Pipes were dug up and broken, and water was gushing out from a broken tap and pooling in the parking lot.
“This seems to be pure vandalism as there was no more metal to steal – the pipes and tap had been replaced with plastic ones,” he said.
The resident shut off the water himself to prevent further loss.
He said he had raised the issue of vandalism numerous times with the municipality over the past 15 months, speaking to employees in infrastructure and community protection services, but was treated dismissively.
Municipal spokesman Cecil Mbolekwa said: “We are aware of the problem and have correctly attempted [to prevent] further vandalism by installing plastic taps and pipes and repairing the ablutions and secure the associated infrastructure.
“We will continue to monitor the situation and we are looking at more stringent measures to prevent further vandalism. An illegal vagrant hiding in the area in question, that allegedly continuously damaged the ablution infrastructure, has been removed from the area by the municipality with the help of the SAPS.”