Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis joined City waste removal staff to show solidarity and thank them for their efforts to sustain basic services to the Kosovo informal settlement and broader Philippi East amid violent threats and extortion attempts affecting refuse collection. This comes as law enforcement has been escorting City frontline delivery staff to ensure services continue in the area.
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During a clean-up with staff in the area, Hill-Lewis made a public call for information, leading to the arrest of extortionists.
He was joined by Mayoral Committee Member for Urban Waste Management Grant Twigg and Mayco Member for Safety and Security JP Smith.
The City and its contractors provide a door-to-door waste collection service in Kosovo informal settlement in the Philippi area, as well as ongoing area cleaning services and shipping containers for waste disposal.
Kosovo forms part of the Western Cape Government’s Southern Corridor catalytic housing project, set to deliver over 50 000 units over time across various informal settlements in the vicinity of the airport.
Contractors servicing shipping containers have been prevented from operating in the Kosovo area by demands for protection fees by local extortionists.
Vehicles have also been damaged.
In Samora Michel/Brown’s Farm, a contractor has been unable to service the area for most of April given the extent of safety threats.In the interim, city staff and law enforcement have been keeping services running.
‘I want to thank our frontline staff most sincerely for their bravery and perseverance in delivering basic services in Kosovo and the wider area of Philippi East,’ said the mayor. ‘Constant threats of violence have led to the need for law enforcement protection just to keep services going for residents. We can put these extortionists behind bars with the help of the community.’
‘I am calling on Philippi East residents and anyone with information to come forward so that we can arrest those blocking services for residents.’
‘The City is committed to ensuring basic service delivery and a clean environment for residents, and we will never back down for extortionists. We will continue to report these incidents to the police and have further appointed a special investigator within the City’s Safety and Security Directorate who will pursue cases where information may lead to arrests and convictions.’
Smith added that in response to widespread threats to staff and facilities, the City will soon launch a Facility Protection Unit, which will also provide escorts for staff where needed.
‘We also need meaningful arrests and prosecutions and I renew my call to SAPS to formally constitute the kidnapping and extortion task team that the City has been calling for,’ he said.
‘In the interim, we call on the public to make use of our toll-free tips off line and claim rewards of up to R5 000 for information leading to arrests of anyone targeting City staff with extortion and violence across the metro.’
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Picture: Supplied / CoCT