The Nyanga Community Policing Forum (CPF) has condemned the attack of City employees while fixing a water supply pipe at Klipfontein Mission Station community on Saturday 30 July.
It is alleged that Crossroads residents were protesting for service delivery at the City of Cape Town offices (KwaNontsumpa) in Crossroads and moved to the Klipfontein area where they attacked the workers.
One of the workers was shot twice in the leg.
Nyanga CPF secretary Dumisani Qwebe described the incident as unfortunate. He said the workers are in communities to render services to the very same residents.
Qwebe urged the community to protect the “essential workers” all the time. “Regardless of what their grievances are, they have no right to attack the City workers. We are appealing to all the City workers, ambulance staff and Uber drivers to firstly report to the Nyanga Police Station so that they can be escorted by the police to their destination,” urged Qwebe.
He said any crime incident that happens in the precinct creates a negative perception about Nyanga.
The City’s Mayco Member for Water and Sanitation Zahid Badroodien said he was informed that one of the officials who works in the Informal Settlements Basic Services branch was shot twice while on route to respond to a burst pipe in the Klipfontein Mission Station community.
“It is my understanding that he was the victim in an attempted robbery,” he said. “He was shot twice. Once in the foot and once in the leg. He has been admitted to hospital and is currently receiving care.”
Badroodien stated that a number of attacks had previously been reported from the area, mostly while officials responded to service requests. He said the attacks include hijackings, theft of personal belongings and theft of city equipment.
“Because of its violent nature, service delivery in these communities is often delayed,” he said. “Additional security support is necessary to accompany our officials to ensure that they are able to work without being targeted.
“It is this delay in an ability to respond to service requests quickly in addition to ongoing vandalism of our infrastructure that causes sewage to overflow when pump stations are vandalised due to illegal connections or pump failure due to tyres getting stuck in the pumps among other examples.”
My prayers and thoughts are with our official, his family and all the colleagues at this difficult time.
If there is anyone that has information can report to 0800 11 00 77.