The City of Cape Town’s Urban Waste Management (UWM) has “temporarily” withdrawn waste collection services in Philippi-East – for the second time this year.
The withdrawal follows an attack on two private security guards, protecting waste management staff and vehicles operating in the area, on Thursday 14 September. Both guards died on the scene and their weapons were taken.
Earlier this year, the City was forced to cancel its services in the area after one of its employees was gunned down (“Crime in Lower Crossroads a concern” City Vision, 4 May).
Commenting on the latest incident, the City’s Mayco member for urban waste management Grant Twigg said the City was alarmed by the reports of attack on the crew that was collecting refuse in Philippi East.
According to Twigg, the incident follows extortion threats that forced City contractors to pull out of the area. He added that since then, the City used internal staff that normally operate in other areas to work in the area under security escort.
Twigg said his department plans to engage with officers and the City’s Safety and Security Directorate to request urgent assistance to deal with criminal elements that threaten staff and contractors.
A community leader, who didn’t want his name to be known for fear of victimisation, said the incident left the community rattled. He said crime in Lower Crossroads, as a whole, is getting out of hand. “We are scared. No one wants to raise the issue of extortion here because we don’t know the people who are involved. It is something that is worrying all of us. The government needs to deploy more officers on the Cape Flats,” he said, saying they have a challenge of drugs and crime, and now extortion.
The leader expressed doubts whether the City would collect rubbish in the area again.
Philippi-East Police spokesperson Capt Granville Meyer said a double murder and robbery cases were opened after two security guards protecting refuse removal trucks in Island, Lower Crossroads, were killed on Thursday afternoon.
“Contact the Crime Stop number 08600 10111 or via the MySAPSApp. Information will be treated with strictest confidence and informers may remain anonymous,” said Meyer.