Tshwane staff can’t deliver services due to attacks
A plumbing team was attacked in Atteridgeville, while a group calling themselves 'Business Forum' prevented grass cutters from doing their work.
View of the city of Pretoria from the Union Buildings on October 30, 2009 ahead of World Cup 2010 in South Africa. South Africa received a record 9.5 million tourists in 2008, up 5.5 percent annually, but is counting on the World Cup to reverse a slowdown felt this year. South Africa expects 450,000 people to visit the country during the competition, which runs from June 11 to July 11. AFP PHOTO STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN / AFP PHOTO / STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN
City of Tshwane officials have been exposed to danger while attempting to deliver services to communities, with the latest attack being on a plumbing team that was pelted with bricks in Atteridgeville.
The team was attending to a blocked manhole at Mouhlare Street in Saulsville last week, when they were attacked with bricks and stones by a group of residents, Tshwane spokesperson Lindela Mashigo said.
He said the employees had to take cover inside a municipal vehicle and speed off from the angry crowd that had started hurling objects at the truck.
In another incident in the area, workers from Tshwane’s parks division were threatened and stopped from cutting grass at the Mbolekwa sports facility by a group who called themselves the “Business Forum”.
A contractor was sent to cut grass at the sports facility, but the same group stopped him from working, Mashigo said.
“After an intervention by the city’s officials, the group agreed to allow the contractor to only service the area around the softball field to accommodate a tournament which was taking place the same weekend.”
“We will look at ways of enlisting services of the Tshwane metro police and possibly the South African Police Service. At the same time, we expect the communities to rally against such elements because we are there to service the communities.”
The city strongly condemned the attacks on their personnel.
“We cannot dispatch our employees to be attacked, harassed and threatened by the community they are trying to assist. An attack on any government employee executing his or her duties is tantamount to an attack on the state.
“The City of Tshwane would like to apologise to members of the public for delays or challenges that may be experienced by customers in the areas where our employees are being stopped from rendering the much-needed services.”
– rorisangk@citizen.co.za
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