Vandalism is not a once off: Municipalities urged to protect infrastructure

The spate of vandalism attacks on trains and tracks around the country has not only severely impacted local productivity and major logistical routes but has also prompted many municipalities to reassess the protection on place for their valuable infrastructure.

This is according to Colly Mata, Executive: Commercial and Local Authorities Sales of Lion of Africa Insurance, who says that, as vandalism increases it is imperative for municipalities to take out adequate cover or they may face losing millions of Rands in repairs, loss of production and subsequent claims from the private sector.

“Tensions are running high at the moment as many industries negotiate wages. This is a difficult time for a municipality as it is often their infrastructure that takes the brunt of people’s frustration because it is an easy target that makes a big impact,” he says.

He refers to the recent vandalism of the trains and train tracks operated by Metrorail. Damage as a result of vandalism has resulted in a repair bill amounting to approximately 5.5million rand in repairs for the first six months of 2011 alone. Furthermore, Metrorail in the Western Cape has now placed a claim against the provincial government for R69 million in order to fund the erection of fences to keep vandals off the tracks.

According to Mata, the majority of vandalism cases are as a direct result of anger on the part of thieves who cannot get what they desire for instance, or frustrated strikers whose demands are not met,” says Mata. “Vandalism usually recurs and that municipalities should see it as a sign of more unrest in the near future which may lead to bigger financial repercussions if not taken seriously,” he says.

Consequently, Mata encourages municipalities to revisit the risks surrounding their various infrastructures and whether they may be targeted to be vandalised.

Mata says municipalities can prevent major financial loss as a result of vandalism by making sure they have appropriate Malicious Damage cover. “Malicious Damage cover forms part of a standard Asset policy. However, municipalities must be aware that firstly, it is a separate optional cover and must therefore be specified and secondly, the limit of this cover needs to be very carefully assessed,” he says.

He explains that in order for a municipality to substantiate an accurate Malicious Damage limit for a region, officials must first assess what structures in the city are most at risk. These are usually the structures that are unmanned at certain times and those that are difficult to restrict access to. Following this, a full assessment of the risks particular to certain infrastructure must be conducted. This includes identifying how and when the public use these structures. Finally the municipality needs to estimate what kind of damage they could cover and what damage would fall beyond their financial means to repair.

“This is the damage that is most important to insure as it could cause major disruptions to the public if the municipality is unable to repair it quickly.” he says.