City of Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill Lewis. Image: X//@geordinhl.
City of Cape Town offers R100k reward for info on extortionists who killed security guards
The City of Cape Town says it is concerned by the attacks on its staff. Extortionists allegedly murdered two contractor security personnel.
City of Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill Lewis. Image: X//@geordinhl.
The City of Cape Town is offering a R100 000 reward for information leading to the successful capture and prosecution of alleged extortionists responsible for the murder of two security personnel.
Two security contractor personnel escorting City of Cape Town staff attending a sewer pipe repair in Phola Park community in Philippi were shot dead on Tuesday, 23 April.
R100K REWARD FOR INFO ON MURDERED SECURITY PERSONNEL IN THE CITY OF CAPE TOWN
According to the City of Cape Town, the armed security guards had driven to the site in Phola Park in their company vehicle, while a City vehicle transported five operational staff.
On arrival, the teams disembarked to gather tools and inspect the pipe. While busy, two armed men approached the City vehicle, and another two headed to the toilet block, where multiple shots were fired.
The metro municipality said while its staff and residents fled to safety, sadly, both private security guards passed away. A female City staff member was also injured from a hard fall.
The City of Cape Town said various services are severely impacted by criminal attacks in parts of Philippi, including the Kosovo informal settlement, where a stormwater upgrading project is underway.
In addition, tactical response and security escort services are being provided to staff and contractors in the Philippi area due to the ongoing safety threats.
EXECUTIVE MAYOR CONCERNED BY EXTORTIONISTS
City of Cape Town Executive Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis urged communities to use the 24-hour tip-off hotline to report the criminals disrupting water and sanitation services and upgrades in the community.
“The City extends our heartfelt condolences to the families of two security contractor staff, who so tragically lost their lives in the shooting in Phola Park, Phillippi, on Tuesday, 23 April,” Hill-Lewis said.
Meanwhile, the Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Sanitation Zahid Badroodien said the alarming number of attacks on staff while on duty, working to maintain a dignified service standard in informal settlements, led to the City spending over R8.5 million for private security escorts in the 2023/24 financial year alone.
Badroodien added that the latest attacks in Philippi follow recent incidents targeting staff elsewhere in the city.
On Wednesday, 17 April, City staff were also robbed in two separate incidents on the same day. In one incident, a team was busy responding to a blocked sewer pipe in Clarke Estate, Elsies River, when one of the staff was robbed of his cellphone.
In the second incident, a team of five was held at gunpoint and robbed of their personal belongings, including cellphones, while they were in Blue Downs attending to a burst water pipe.
