The Angolan State loses around 167.9 million euros annually due to acts of vandalism affecting the energy, water, and transport sectors, Minister of State and Head of the Civil Office of the Presidency, Dionísio da Fonseca, revealed on Thursday (21) while justifying the new anti-vandalism bill.
Speaking at Angola’s National Assembly, the government official stated that the losses caused by the destruction of public infrastructure “are even greater” when other sectors of the economy are taken into account, defending the need to strengthen legal measures to curb such crimes.
“But beyond the financial losses, the vandalisation of public property directly affects people’s lives and physical integrity, puts public safety at risk, and hampers the provision of essential public services to citizens,” he said.
The official, who was presenting the Bill Against the Vandalisation of Public Property during the plenary session taking place in Luanda, argued that the new law — which repeals the version approved in 2024 after Angola’s Constitutional Court declared some provisions “unconstitutional” — “is not a step backwards.”
“It is progress towards a stronger, more balanced, and more effective system,” he noted.
According to Dionísio da Fonseca, the law currently under general debate “is not limited to reinforcing repression,” but instead seeks to establish a “balanced legal framework” that combines firmness in combating vandalism with respect for citizens’ rights, freedoms, and fundamental guarantees.
“We are facing an initiative that strengthens the protection of the public interest, safeguards the sustainability of public investment, and contributes to the consolidation of the democratic rule of law,” the minister stressed.
Source: Lusa
