Pretoria - A contractor hired by the City of Tshwane and a group of employees were last week robbed of tools at gunpoint by criminals in Eersterust.
City spokesperson Lindela Mashigo said employees of a contractor were accosted by criminals while on duty attending to service delivery in Eersterust, east of the city.
They were robbed of tools of trade, which included six brush cutters, at gunpoint.
“On December 8, the same modus operandi was carried out by criminals in Eersterust on personnel belonging to the same service provider contracted to the city,” Mashigo said.
He said the City condemned the violence and thuggery directed at its employees as well as contractors in various parts of the city.
“This aggression meted out on contractors and employees is reprehensible and has the potential to result in delays in carrying out our maintenance responsibilities.
“This type of criminality, which is predominant in Regions 1 and 6, will lead to contractors and employees refusing to go to attend service interruptions in those areas for fear of their safety.
“The City urges communities to shield service providers from such wanton violence and thuggery,” he said. The contractor has opened a case at the SAPS police station in Eersterust.
It was unclear whether the attack on the contractor was linked to threats often posed by the so-called business forum who demand to be allocated at least 30% of infrastructure projects approved by the City.
Members of the forum use the tactic to benefit from budgets set aside for particular projects even before they could be implemented.
On numerous occasions, the City had apportioned blame on the forum for incomplete projects or for stalling service delivery in general.
Pretoria News