City of Joburg computers wrecked by criminals trying to stop digitisation
Burglars have hit the City of Joburg’s development planning offices, stealing computing equipment and vandalising workstations.
This week, building development management staff discovered that their office had been burgled and 20 desktop computers vandalised.
This incident followed a burglary last week, where the perpetrators broke into the building and damaged six desktop computers.
Both incidents followed the same modus operandi — a burglary resulting in the theft of hard drives, CPUs, and memory chips.
These are not isolated events. In October 2020, 12 desktop computers were broken and their hard drives stolen during a break-in at the single law enforcement office in the same building.
A case of theft and malicious damage to property was opened with the Hillbrow police station. A suspect, previously arrested for the same crime, was arrested.
Cllr Belinda Echeozonjoku, Development Planning MMC, visiting the scene of the crime
Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC), councillor Belinda Echeozonjoku, expressed her shock and disappointment at the burglaries.
She described the destructive acts as criminal and sabotage, adding that the city will not be taking this matter lightly.
“These burglaries and acts of vandalism are a pushback from individuals who are against the digitisation of the building plan application process, recently introduced by Development Planning,” she said.
“I am even more disappointed to have received allegations from members of the public of internal staff who have expressed their dislike of the online application system”.
The Construction Permit Management System, which the development planning department is implementing, is a new web-based building permit system intended to modernise and streamline the current site development and building plan approval processes.
Development Planning said the new system would enhance the department’s operational efficiency and good governance, improving its service delivery mandates.
Development Planning computers damaged
“We are aware that there are individuals who previously benefited from the inefficiencies of our processes, which are not happy with the implementation of the digital platform,” Echeozonjoku said.
“We want to send a strong message that all these acts of sabotage are only making us resolute to implement processes and controls that will stop graft in development planning.”
The online application system is only available to architectural professionals registered with the South African Council for the Architectural Profession.
Echeozonjoku said contingency plans were being made with Group ICT to replace the equipment with laptops or desktop computers.
This will avoid further delays in examining building plan applications that are already on the system.
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