A R100 000 reward is on offer for information that will lead to the arrest and prosecution of the alleged extortionists who killed two security officials in Philippi.

On Tuesday, the guards were escorting City of Cape Town staffers who were repairing a sewer pipe in the Phola Park area.

Two armed men approached and opened fire on the guards. A female City staff member was also injured from a hard fall. Water and Sanitation MMC Zahid Badroodien says there have been multiple attacks on City staff in recent weeks.

“There’s not a day that goes by that our staff who work in the volatile areas aren’t targets. There’s been an increase in the number of attacks on while they are on duty, working to maintain a dignified service standard especially in our informal settlements,” said Badroodien.

The municipality has set up a 24-hour hotline (0800 00 6992) and rewards system to encourage residents to help the City and the authorities to tackle extortion. This forms part of a metro-wide anti-extortion campaign titled ‘Kwanele! Enough! Genoeg!’.

“The attacks have led to the City spending over R8,5 million for private security escorts in the 2023/24 financial year alone. Unfortunately, ruthless targeting persists and has now claimed two more innocent lives,” added Badroodien.

READ MORE: Report extortion threats promptly

MORE ATTACKS

On Wednesday 17 April, City staff were also robbed in two separate attacks on the same day. In one incident, a team was busy responding to a blocked sewer pipe in Elsies River when one of the staff was robbed of his cellphone.

In the second incident, a team of five was held at gunpoint. They were then robbed of their personal belongings including cellphones while they were in Blue Downs attending to a burst water pipe.

Anonymous tip-offs are encouraged:

Phone 24/7: 0800 00 6992

Email: SSIMS.SSIUReporting@capetown.gov.za