High masts for crime control at Kwaluseni

MATSAPHA – Government has proposed to set aside E4 million for the installation of high masts at the crime infested Kwaluseni Constituency.

The township recorded about 47 armed robbery cases, which took place at night, since the beginning of the year. This was revealed by Kwaluseni Member of Parliament (MP) Sibusiso Mabhanisi Dlamini and the police during a stakeholder meeting held at Matsapha Town Board conference room yesterday afternoon.

The MP said government had approved their request for high masts and said it would be done in stages because of the financial challenges it was facing. He said for now government proposed to finance the installation of high masts with E4 million.

However, he said government wanted assurance that the constituency would maintain the high masts. In this regard, he said they agreed that the committee of the project would open a bank account so that community members and businesses could contribute towards the maintenance of the high masts.

Contribute

He said they had proposed that each house should pay E3 per year, while small businesses like Mobile Money (MoMo) outlets should contribute E10 per year. He said the proposal was that bigger businesses like supermarkets should contribute E100 per year. On the other hand, the police, who were part of the meeting, said the installation of the high masts would make them heave a sigh of relief, as most of the criminal activities that were reported to them took place at night.

The police service was represented by Sergeant Masilela, who said since the beginning of the year, about 65 criminal activities happened at night at Kwaluseni. He said the leading criminal activity was armed robbery.

Sergeant Masilela said there were 47 armed robbery cases which took place in areas under the constituency. “People are robbed their valuables along the streets at night and the high masts would decrease the rate of crime because the robbers operate when it is dark,” the sergeant said.

He said they also recorded 11 rape cases which took place at night in the constituency, while there were five murder cases. Sergeant Masilela added that copper theft cases were six. He said the high masts would make things easier for them and community police to patrol at night.