An eThekwini Municipality staffer has been arrested for allegedly damaging CCTV cameras linked to the City's emergency service control room.

The control room monitors and detects crime while ensuring law and order.

The 30-year-old man faces charges of theft, sabotage and vandalism of the CCTV cameras.

eThekwini head of the Disaster Management and Emergency Services Unit, Vincent Ngubane, said the arrest comes following an investigation by the unit as well as Metro Police, the City Integrity and Investigation Unit (CIIU) and the South African Police Service (SAPS).

"The municipality has opened a criminal case against the suspect for theft, sabotage and vandalism of municipal infrastructure. The employee, who is one of the City’s CCTV camera operator, was also served with a notice of immediate suspension," Ngubane said.

He added that the City will not hesitate to arrest anyone who tampers with and sabotages municipal infrastructure such as CCTV cameras, even if it’s one of their own.

eThekwini mayor, Mxolisi Kaunda, commended officers on the arrest.

"We are committed to rooting out any form of criminality within the Municipality and have adopted a zero-tolerance approach towards lawlessness. This City has no room for criminals and will not allow anyone who will compromise the safety of our residents, visitors and businesses," he added.

In December last year, the City completed repairs and upgrades to all CCTV cameras as part of festive season safety plans.

At the time, Kaunda said the upgrade of technology would also improve traffic flow management, emergency response times and the overall deployment of critical municipal resources.

The City said some of the cameras were damaged and cables washed away following heavy rains.

Ngubane then presented a detailed plan of action to fix the cameras before the Safety and Security Services Committee and the City budgeted R110 million for this project.

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