TimesLIVE reports that the City of Cape Town has pointed the finger at alleged extortionists after two armed security guards escorting city staff carrying out repairs to a sewer pipe in Philippi, Cape Town, were shot dead on Tuesday.
The guards drove to the site in Phola Park while a city vehicle transported five employees. The City reported that while the crew were inspecting the pipe, “two armed men approached the city vehicle and another two headed to the toilet block where multiple shots were fired. While the city staff and residents fled to safety, the private security guards died. A female city staff member was injured in a hard fall.” Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis announced a R100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of the suspects. “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 more than R8.5m for private security escorts in the 2023/2024 financial year. Unfortunately ruthless targeting persists and has now claimed two more innocent lives,” said water and sanitation MMC Zahid Badroodien. City staff were robbed in two separate incidents last Wednesday while attending to a blocked sewer pipe in Elsies River, and a burst water pipe in Blue Downs.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard at TimesLIVE
- Read too, City of Cape Town offers R100,000 reward for information on who killed guards during sewer repair shift, at News24
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