Municipal Staff Face Growing Threats During Service Calls
A call on residents to assist in safeguarding officials working in communities
The safety of George Municipality officials attending to after-hours service delivery calls is under serious threat due to a rise in crime-related incidents, intimidation, and the theft of essential municipal equipment. This alarming trend is undermining efforts to provide consistent services across the city, with staff safety becoming a serious concern. The municipality urgently calls on residents to assist in safeguarding officials working in their communities.
The Electrotechnical Services and Civil Engineering Services (CES) departments, which handle critical services such as power and water outages, have reported numerous incidents where staff have faced intimidation, threats, and violence while on duty.
Personnel from the Electrotechnical Services department, responsible for maintaining and restoring power, have been increasingly targeted, particularly during nighttime service calls. High-risk areas have been identified, including Nelson Mandela Boulevard near the Total Garage, Borchards, Conville, Parkdene, and parts of Rosemore. Staff have been subjected to harassment, threats, and even physical attacks while attempting to resolve urgent electrical issues.
To mitigate these risks, the municipality has increased the number of personnel assigned to attend service complaints in these areas. “When working in high-risk areas, we now deploy more staff and additional vehicles. In some cases, we are forced to delay attending to complaints until the next day for safety reasons,” said Daniel Greeff, Acting Director of Electrotechnical Services at the George Municipality. These measures have increased operational costs and delayed response times, but the municipality stresses that staff safety must come first.
The Civil Engineering Services (CES) department has faced similar threats and, in response, has intensified security and crime prevention measures. In addition to water outages, this department frequently accesses pump stations in remote areas to carry out repairs.
“Employees working at pump stations are currently equipped with pepper spray, and some stations have emergency panic buttons linked to armed response,” explained Deon de Jager, Deputy Director of the Civil Engineering Services Directorate. “However, these measures do not fully eliminate the risks, particularly for staff working alone or in areas without security guards.”
Staff attending to emergencies after-hours at the Municipal plants, reservoirs, and/or pump stations, facing the risk of assault or robbery. Areas of particular concern include Pacaltsdorp, Touwsranten, Wilderness Heights, Die Rus, Thembalethu, Kraaibosch, Herolds Bay, and Oubaai. While pump stations are secured with fencing and behind locked gates, they do little to protect staff, particularly at night.
Tahseen Raiman, Manager for Water Distribution, added that her team has identified several areas with heightened risks, including Ryger Park, Golden Valley, Conville, Thembalethu, Borcherds, Maraiskamp, Rosemore, and Protea Park. These areas can be particularly unsafe on weekends. For instance, in Golden Valley, children were recently seen climbing behind a moving water truck, putting both themselves and the driver in danger. In Ryger Park, a team was recently threatened and told they would not be allowed to leave until a leaking pipe was fixed.
While there have been no violent incidents against Water Distribution staff in the past year, there have been instances of infrastructure vandalism. To address these challenges, the municipality has implemented team-based working strategies and prioritizes the most urgent complaints. However, this approach has led to reduced service levels and increased costs for service delivery.
The Senior Manager of Community Safety at George Municipality, Lee-Anne Meiring, confirmed that the Community Safety Division supports the municipality’s service departments in cases such as disconnecting illegal connections. “Our law enforcement standby teams assist after hours when required or requested. We also collaborate with the South African Police Service (SAPS) to ensure that extra safety, protection, and policing are provided in the most volatile areas,” Meiring said. “We will not hesitate to take action against these criminal elements.”
George Municipality urges residents to play an active role in ensuring the safety of municipal staff working in their communities. Intimidation, harassment, and attacks on officials not only delay critical services but also endanger the people striving to keep essential services running.
“We need the support of the community to address this serious issue,” said Greeff. “The safety of our personnel is non-negotiable, and we ask all residents to assist us in protecting the very people who are working to improve their living conditions.”
The municipality continues to work on improving safety measures but stresses that community cooperation is key to ensuring that vital services can be delivered without disruption or fear.
