The City of Cape Town said its service delivery in the Kraaifontein and Wallacedene area has been halted due to extortion threats.
It said its service provider received extortion threats, forcing a halt to cleaning services of approximately 300 container toilets in informal settlements in the area since Monday, November 11.
In a letter, the extortionists stated a protection fee needed to be paid if vehicles wanted to work in the Kraaifontein area.
The letter is also politely signed with a thank you and an available number for any queries.
Mayoral committee member for water and sanitation, Councillor Zahid Badroodien strongly condemned the acts of extortion which he stated have a detrimental impact on the health and sanitation conditions in the affected communities.
He said all efforts are being made to address the situation in order for services to resume as soon as it is safe to do so.
The affected areas are: Kraaifontein informal settlements: Area 19, Covid 19, Social Distance and Tygerberg Race Course and the Wallacedene informal settlements: Simanga-Bloekombos and Marikana.
Badroodien said to date, the water and sanitation directorate has been confronted with 14 extortion incidents between April 2023 and November 2024. This has resulted in service disruptions in 23 informal settlements, with cleanliness and maintenance standards compromised in 2,000 container toilets and 230 chemical toilets.
“The City condemns extortion because it directly impacts the dignity of our residents, by jeopardising our efforts to deliver basic sanitation services through collection and cleaning of toilets in informal settlements. Arrangements have been made to support service providers with security or law enforcement protection to enable continuity of the essential service,” Badroodien said.
To address these ongoing threats, multiple City departments are working together to find sustainable solutions to prevent further service disruptions.
The City has also set up a 24-hour hotline, which allows residents to anonymously report incidents of intimidation and extortion. Residents are encouraged to report any information or tip-offs directly to the City.
Anonymous 24/7 extortion tip-off hotline: phone 24/7: 0800 00 6992 or email: [email protected].
IOL