Cape Town - The City of Cape Town said one of its fire crews responding to an incident on Thursday evening was attacked.
In a statement on Friday, Mayco Member for Safety and Security JP Smith said the fire crew from Belhar came under attack in Delft.
Smith said the crew was responding to an emergency call just before 8pm of a truck which had been set alight in the Delft South area.
At the time, there was also load shedding in the area.
He said the crew met up with members of the South African Police Service (SAPS) to escort them to Hindle Road where the incident occurred.
“Just as they (the fire crew and SAPS members) were nearing the incident, the crew came under attack, with a brick hurled at the windscreen.
“They called for additional protection to exit the volatile area,” Smith said.
He said the crew members were shaken by the ordeal and that after a meeting with the fire service chaplain it was decided to send them home.
This left the Belhar fire station non-operational for the rest of the night.
“This type of thuggish behaviour is becoming an all-too-regular occurrence and has potentially devastating consequences for law-abiding citizens who require emergency services,” Smith said.
He said that the escalating attacks on crews not only slow down their response time, as crews do not enter volatile areas without a police escort, but it also might lead the City of Cape Town to withdraw its services altogether where there is unrest.
African News Agency (ANA)