Petition for emergency provincial law enforcement support for Villiersdorp 2 October 2024

We, the undersigned, hereby petition the acting municipal manager, Mr WSE Solomons, and mayor of Villiersdorp, Mr Tienie Zimmermann, with the following:  

1.     Over the last two months Villiersdorp has been subjected to an extraordinary and unrelenting number of acts of alleged vandalism of the electricity infrastructure that has caused individuals, the town, and municipality untold harm and suffering, financially, for individuals and small businesses, as well as otherwise.

2.     There is now every reason to suspect that, given the sustained and targeted nature of these acts, we are dealing with a syndicate of organised crime that is holding the town to ransom. As we understand from available information, this is currently being investigated by the SA Police Service (SAPS).

3.     It is our further belief that this has now reached a crisis point where, beyond the financial damage caused by this organised reign of terror, the fundamental rights of the town and municipality’s citizens as guaranteed in Chapter Two of the Constitution (the Bill of Rights) are being violated — rights that include, but are not limited to, the right to dignity, the right to life, the right to freedom and security of persons, the right to assembly, the right to freedom of association, and the right to the ownership and protection of property. The municipality, while possibly not (directly) at fault in respect of these actions, has a constitutional as well as a contractual duty to uphold and protect the fundamental rights of its constituents and ratepayers.

4.     We furthermore believe that the scope of the organised attack on Villiersdorp far exceeds the capability of the local municipality to respond adequately and timeously to the danger posed to its citizens and their livelihood. We therefore call on local authorities to take active and immediate steps to source the necessary assistance from regional or provincial authorities to assist in this case, as a matter of urgency.

5.     We petition the municipal manager and mayor of Villiersdorp to request, as a matter of the utmost urgency, provincial law enforcement to come to the aid of the town and its citizens.

6.     We insist that, without any further delay, a special provincial police presence be deployed to the town to protect it and its citizens from this danger until such time as the necessary investigations into the organised nature of this attack on the town has been completed.

7.     In the event that the recent events regarding frequent power interruptions in Villiersdorp are to be found to be due to unrelated, individual acts of vandalism, that is, not related to the above-mentioned suspected crime syndicate activity, it is submitted that the local Villiersdorp SAPS can and should more transparent in communicating with the town’s citizens regarding progress made in preventing any further acts of sabotage of the town’s electricity infrastructure.

8.     Regardless of the response of the municipal manager and mayor to this petition, we are also calling for a public meeting where SAPS must provide feedback on progress made in its investigation and where residents of Villiersdorp will have a collective opportunity to provide suggestions for a way forward. The date of this town meeting will be announced in due course.

9.     We demand that this petition be submitted to provincial authorities, including the provincial police force, on the same day that it is handed over to the town’s manager and that a detailed response be provided to the town’s citizens within a further 48 hours through the following channels:  

• Theewaters Municipal WhatsApp channel ·     
• Theewaters Municipal Facebook page ·     
• Villiersdorp Community News ·     
• Villiersdorp Staan Saam ·     
• Villiersdorp Communicator  

This petition will be  handed over to the municipal manager and mayor at 9:00 on Monday 7 October 2024.          

Leonhard Praeg    Contact the author of the petition