City Services in Tshwane at Risk Amid Escalating Crime

(The Post News)– The City of Tshwane has now labelled recent acts of crime against the municipality as ‘unacceptable’, as they have jeopardised and diminished public assets and the overall confidence of the staff. This comes after municipal employees were held at gunpoint on June 13.

Lindela Mashigo, the spokesperson for Tshwane, reported that in the afternoon of the 13th, employees and on-site security were held hostage, at gunpoint, at the Block X Library offices located in Jukulyn, Soshanguve. The criminals allegedly ran off with “personal belongings”, which include money and cell phones. Even though the incident justifiably rattled the staff, it isn’t the only hostile encounter they’ve had to face.

Just a week and a half ago, on the 6th of June, a municipal cane truck was reported to be hijacked by unidentified assailants in the Ga-Rankuwa area. The group of criminals not only forcefully took the Nissa UD long base truck, but they then proceeded to abandon the crew and driver in the middle of nowhere.

These incidents have shaken and traumatised employees, so much so that the library had to be temporarily shut down in order for the staff to receive the necessary trauma counseling. Mashigo also added that the hijack caused a major setback and substantial loss, as the truck was essential in the upkeep of public spaces and infrastructure across the city of Tshwane.

Although police investigations have been launched, Johann Mettler, the city manager of Tshwane, has urged communities to join forces with the law in protecting the municipality’s infrastructure and property by alerting the authorities of any criminal or suspicious activities, not only because this is an ongoing case but because the utilities are ‘common assets that benefit everyone’.

Mettler has also declared that, as an act of condemning the attacks, he will “hunt down” and “bring to book” the criminals responsible.