Africa-Press – Botswana. In the wake of extensive acts of vandalism registered by Water Utilities Corporation (WUC) on its strategic infrastructure, the corporation has roped in national security organs to assist unravel the web of destruction and bring perpetrators to book.
In an interview recently, WUC chief executive officer (CEO), Mr Gaselemogwe Senai said unlike in the past where acts of vandalism were sporadic, their sharp upward swing in recent weeks had raised fears of a potential threat to national security, hence the bringing on board of the Botswana Defence Force (BDF), Botswana Police Service (BPS) and the Directorate on Intelligence and Security (DIS).
Mr Senai said with utilities being the key vehicles on the wheels of which the economy was run, the massive disruption of WUC’s ability to distribute water posed a serious threat to national security as it carried great potential to curtail economic activity.
“The smooth running of any economy hinges closely on the uninterrupted flow of utilities, hence our suspicion that whoever is behind these acts (of vandalism) knows the level of chaos that serious disruption to water distribution can have on this country’s economy and it’s clear that they are keen on achieving exactly that,” he said.
To arrest the situation before it escalated any further, he said a high-level advisory committee comprising WUC, BDF, BPS, DIS and players within the telecommunications sphere was formed to spearhead efforts to ward off the potential threat and prevent similar occurrences going forward.
Mr Senai said the colossal levels of damage effected by the yet to be identified individuals would cost the corporation millions of Pula to correct, adding that while the motive behind the large-scale acts of vandalism was yet to be established, it was likely that they were intended to discredit both government and WUC itself.
“The cost runs into millions and is not confined just to the repair and replacement of equipment and the loss of revenue due to inability to sell water at that point, there is also reputational damage (on WUC) that we cannot quantify,” he said.
Regarding the specific roles that the security organs would be playing, Mr Senai said the BDF, being responsible for guaranteeing national security and territorial integrity, was roped in acknowledgement of the fact that there existed varied ways through which national security could be threatened and the current situation was one such way.
As for the police, he said they were WUC’s long-term partners in fighting criminal activities occasioned on the corporation’s network, crediting them for continuing to make arrests of perpetrators, the majority of which he said had resulted in convictions in the past. Mr Senai said the DIS would reinforce efforts to identify the culprits, particularly since the current spate of acts of vandalism had so far seen no arrests being made. Mr Senai said while in the past acts of crime on their network involved mostly cable theft where copper wire was harvested for sale on the black market, the recent acts pointed to a complex arrangement as it entailed events that were difficult to explain.
“At the Gamononyane pump station for instance, the criminals dug out and burnt the cables that transmit power to the sub-station, their intention clearly being to ensure that electricity doesn’t flow into the sub-station. In other instances, they would cut the cables and leave them there,” he said.
To highlight the gravity of the situation, the CEO said 26 out of the 52 boreholes at Masama had their cables cut and stolen last week, while a transformer at the Boatle booster pump exploded in unexplainable circumstances.
He said the vandalism of infrastructure at Masama, Gamononyane, Boatle and Selokolela had affected the Greater Gaborone area and several villages such as Molepolole, Thebephatshwa, Gamodubu, Kopong, Lentsweletau, Thamaga, Moshupa, Kanye and Lobatse.
Mr Senai, however, urged the public not to panic and assured the nation that the corporation was working round the clock to restore water to areas that were affected by the spate of incidents of vandalism.
For his part, DIS spokesperson, Mr Edward Robert said WUC had indeed appealed to law enforcement agencies to assist in the protection of its infrastructure.
However, he said DIS would be playing a supporting role while the police would be the lead entity of the security cluster. The Botswana Police Service was yet to comment on the matter at the time of going to press.
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