The city of Cape Town's social services directorate said on Wednesday it was planning to spend R40 million to keep community facilities safe from criminals by installing burglar bars and alarms and implementing physical patrols at clinics, libraries and recreational facilities, among other measures.

The directorate’s facilities include clinics, libraries, community centres, sports fields and resorts, which are prone to acts of vandalism and crime, leading to millions of rands spent on repairs and replacing stolen equipment and infrastructure.

‘The city has hundreds of facilities designed to cater for the needs of the communities, but too often things fall flat because the facility is damaged and service delivery or access is disrupted," Cape Town mayoral committee member for safety and security and social services Alderman JP Smith said.

"It is not just hard on the pocket as a result of the running repairs, but it affects the morale of both residents and staff members."

The directorate is also funding the deployment of 90 auxiliary law enforcement officers and 70 safety wardens through the Facility Protection initiative which started as a pilot project in 2017, where neighbourhood watch members in good standing were trained and employed to conduct patrols in and around facilities in their areas.

In addition, 312 safety wardens will be deployed to hotspot facilities through the Recreation and Parks Access Control and Protection project. 

‘We are spending a lot of money on improving the protection of our facilities, but the users and surrounding communities also have a role to play," Smith said.

"These community facilities are crucial to positive youth and community development, and so we can’t sit idly and allow a few individuals to destroy that which benefits so many."