Public servants in Nelson Mandela Bay are under attack by criminals, forced to dodge bullets while on duty in some areas which have been dubbed no-go zones.
One electricity department official was robbed 14 times over a period of a year while trying to restore power.
The man was lucky to survive after being shot at in three of the incidents.
Paramedics, social workers and municipal officials find themselves constantly under attack by criminals.
The municipality’s electricity and energy directorate has recorded 30 crime-rated incidents involving 23 workers for the 2021/2022 financial year.
Motherwell, New Brighton, Walmer township, Bethelsdorp and the northern areas have been flagged as hot spots, with officials requiring an escort.
The municipal official who was robbed 14 times said it was traumatising having to do call-outs.
“It is painful knowing that one day you might go on a job and not come back to your family,” the man, who did not want to be named, said.
He said he had been working for the metro for more than 30 years and the situation had never been this bad.
“I wish I could give details about all of it but I don’t want anything coming back to me,” he said.
“I have survived being shot at three times and it is traumatising.”
Electricity department interim head Sibongile Zenzile said the staff felt unsafe while out on the job.
“This negatively affects service delivery as there are no-go areas in which employees must be escorted by safety and security officials.
“Often, officials are not able to respond to faults quickly because they must wait for the escort.”
She said communities had a role to play.
“They must ensure a safe working environment for the officials,” Zenzile said.
Another official said he’d had his personal belongings stolen numerous times, especially while working in the townships.
He said if a ward councillor was not available they would simply not attend to a call-out.
“We have become targets and it always involves guns. It is traumatising,” the man said.
“We fear that one day one of us will actually get killed.”
He said residents also did not help when they were being robbed.
“The people just say I should just be grateful that they did not kill me.
“We really do live in fear,” he said.
The incidents are recorded in a report sent to electricity and energy political head Luxolo Namette on Thursday.
According to the report, an official was robbed and stabbed in 2021 at a municipal depot. No date was given.
In Motherwell, Wells Estate and Ikamvelihle three workers were robbed at gunpoint in separate incidents. No date was given.
“The areas require escorting at night,” the report states.
On June 30, a contractor was robbed at gunpoint while installing a cable.
“His vehicle, tools and service cable were stolen.”
The vehicle was later recovered by the police.
On July 29, two workers were robbed in Kwazakhele.
“Cellphones and money amounting to R800 were taken and the keys of bakkie.
“They were left stuck in the area.”
Namette said the department already had a shortage of staff and the robberies led to officials taking leave for extended periods of time.
“Our turnaround time when attending to calls is also affected.”
He said workers constantly lived in fear.
“To combat this, we would need to form relations with the safety and security cluster including community leaders so that when our members are out there they can be protected,” Namette said.
Police spokesperson Colonel Priscilla Naidu confirmed that municipal employees, social workers and emergency service workers were getting robbed across the city.
She said that in some cases they did request police assistance when going into the townships.
“If they have to go into our hotspot areas, we sometimes assist by escorting them,” she said
Ward 15 councillor Mpumelelo Majola said he often tagged along with municipal workers when they were in New Brighton.
“These guys are getting robbed. We don’t know by who but we protect them when called out,” he said.
Majola said an official was robbed at gunpoint in New Brighton recently while attending to a water issue.
“I always encourage them to come to the office first so we can escort them.
“We have asked residents to help protect them.”
Ward 59 councillor Bulelani Matenjwa said Motherwell was a no-go area.
The last incident, he said, was about a month ago when an official was robbed.
“When they attend to problems, I have to be there to add safety.
“I usually speak to the police and alert them, and it is an issue that we have been addressing with the security cluster,” Matenjwa said.
Safety and security political head Lawrence Troon said the metro had established an escort unit to protect workers in dangerous areas.
He said it was investigating additional measures.
“The metro is working with the police on addressing the scourge of crime.
“The metro is also planning a crime summit to address this issue further,” Troon said.
Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber chief executive Denise van Huyssteen said the attacks on officials were concerning.
She said they were not isolated incidents and it was becoming a common occurrence along with escalating reports of cable theft and vandalised substations.
“The situation is becoming untenable for small through to large businesses as this directly threatens the ongoing viability of their operations,” she said.
Van Huyssteen said this had a ripple effect on the entire economy and, in particular, affected the ability of businesses to operate in the metro and retain and create employment.
“We urge the municipality to seek the intervention of the police to provide a layer of protection to their staff when they are required to go into these dangerous areas,” she said.
“Alongside this, the metro police need to be active and visibly involved in ensuring the safety of technicians who are maintaining and repairing municipal infrastructure.”
Social workers are being robbed during home visits, with 23 held at gunpoint.
Five of them were robbed at gunpoint in Gqeberha on Thursday outside an old age home.
One of the social workers said the problem had been going on for some time.
“Those in authority are in comfortable positions in Bhisho and have no plan for our safety and wellbeing,” he said.
The man said they were constantly robbed of personal belongings and tools.
“It is devastating having to go through something like this,” he said.
“No-one else has to think twice about relying upon the police to do their job.
“We just want to assist families in need.”
He was robbed two years ago as well while visiting a family and called for urgent intervention.
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