ETHEKWINI NEWSFLASH
27 APRIL 2023 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  

Service delivery in several parts of eThekwini is being severely hampered by a sharp rise in the number of hijacking incidents involving municipal and contractor vehicles. This was revealed by eThekwini Mayor Councillor Mxolisi Kaunda during his State of the City address yesterday.

In the current financial year alone no less than 95 vehicles have been hijacked from municipal staff and contractors. Not only does this delay the delivery of critical services to communities, it also subjects employees to severe physical and psychological trauma.  

Said Mayor Kaunda: “These incidents bring untold trauma on our employees and they disrupt urgent
repairs and maintenance. We condemn these acts of criminality as they put the lives of our employees at risk and they delay delivery of services. We call upon communities to work with us and with the police to bring perpetrators to book.”

Head of the City Fleet Unit, Malcolm Joshua, says light commercial vehicles are mostly targeted, adding that hotspot areas are Mayville, Folweni, Umlazi, KwaMashu, Inanda, Zwelibomvu, Hammarsdale and KwaNdengezi.

He added that quite often communities blame the municipality for delays in effecting infrastructure repairs, not knowing that a crew that had been sent to undertake those repairs was hijacked, leading to delays, especially because the vehicles that are targeted belong to core service delivery units such as Electricity, Water and Sanitation and Roads and Stormwater, among others.

“The City is working with the police to root out this scourge, but communities also have a role to play in keeping our teams safe while they deliver services throughout the municipality,” concluded Joshua.

ENDS
Issued by eThekwini Municipality’s Communications Unit.