Cape Town - A City Water and Sanitation worker is receiving trauma counselling after they were robbed at knifepoint while fixing sewer overflow in Elsies River.
The incident took place at the Owen Road and Adriaanse Avenue intersection, when unknown suspects appeared and robbed the worker of his cellphone last week.
Water and sanitation mayco member, Zahid Badroodien, confirmed the incident.
“One staff member who was manning the sewer pump was robbed of his cellphone.
“The staff member was held up with a knife and robbed.”
Badroodien said they had not yet lodged a complaint with police, as their first priority was ensuring the wellbeing of their staff member by supporting him with trauma counselling.
“Going forward, our teams will require the support of law enforcement before entering this area to render services.
“The directorate condemns any form of criminal activity as they impact on our ability to provide services to our residents.
“The anxiety and emotional distress of working in such an unpredictable environment cannot be underestimated and the City has provided counselling to the affected staff members through our Employee Wellness Programme.”
Community activist and resident, Steve Ross, said the news came as “no surprise” to him, as criminal activity in the area was a norm.
“It should not be a surprise in certain communities that thugs and criminals are almost in control of the community.
“At times the community cannot stand up because the same community gets killed, shot and raped by these thugs and become a target.
“My suggestion is that if a team from the City is coming into these hotspot areas, they should inform the local neighbourhood watches and community leaders who have greater influence than the police”.
Cape Argus