11 of the City of Cape Town’s waste management vehicles were hijacked over a period of nearly three months . (Facebook/City of Cape Town)
- Eleven of the City of Cape Town’s vehicles have been hijacked.
- The hijackings took place in less than three months and four suburbs.
- In the most recent incident, a staff member was assaulted.
In less than three months, 11 of the City of Cape Town’s waste management vehicles were hijacked and there was an attempt to hijack a 12th.
Mayco Member for Urban Waste Management Grant Twigg said the 12 incidents took place in Khayelitsha, Gugulethu, Happy Valley and Mfuleni.
The most recent incident occurred on Wednesday, when a white Isuzu bakkie was hijacked in Ilitha Park, Khayelitsha.
“Two of these vehicles are still missing: a white Isuzu LDV KB250 and a white Nissan NP300 LDV. The others were recovered,” Twigg said.
“The vehicle that was hijacked in the most recent incident was used for refuse collection beat inspections during the day and for staff transport at night. The driver was accosted as he was parking the vehicle at his home, after dropping colleagues who had worked a late shift.”
“The safety of City staff and resources remains a challenge as teams deliver services across the metro,” Twigg said.
READ | Money down the drain: Theft and vandalism of manhole covers cost City of Cape Town R12 million
“The City strongly condemns attacks on our staff and resources who are trying to deliver services. Such criminal acts are unacceptable and it hamper staff morale and service delivery. The City will continue its best to ensure the safety of our staff and resources as much as possible,” said Twigg.
“We cannot let criminals rob us of our resources which are ultimately there to benefit our communities through service delivery.”
Twigg added that safety risks to staff could sometimes delay services.
News24 previously reported that the vandalism and theft of manhole covers cost the City of Cape Town R12 million.
According to Mayco Member for Water and Sanitation Zahid Badroodien, there were more than 6 590 stolen and vandalised sewer drain manhole covers across Cape Town between July 2023 and June 2024.
This resulted in the City’s Water and Sanitation Directorate spending more than R12 million to replace and repair the manholes.
