DURBAN - EMPLOYEES in eThekwini Municipality have spoken out about security concerns after one of their colleagues was gunned down in his office at the Water and Sanitation depot in Springfield.
The employee, who was a superintendent and movement controller in charge of municipal vehicles at the depot, was shot on Monday afternoon.
The Mercury was unable to track down the victim’s family yesterday. It was not immediately clear whether his relatives had been informed of his death, and his name has not been released publicly.
“The workers are tense at the depot today, they not only heard the gunshots but they went there and they saw him. There have been other incidents, but he was shot in his office, you can imagine how that makes us feel. They are worried about their safety. Remember this happened while there is security at the gate and there are cameras in the precinct. I doubt they are working,” said the source.
Another employee who works in a different unit expressed concerns.
“In our office there is security, but they barely ever search those coming in. If you wanted to cause harm, you could just walk into our offices and do whatever you wanted and walk out.
“There have been many instances, even in the same Springfield precinct, where business forums have made it into buildings and accosted managers without being stopped by security,” said the staff member.
DA councillor Thabani Mthethwa said that security in municipal buildings should be assessed and strengthened.
“The governing party is not in charge of this municipality, the criminals are. People have their demands, and if they do not get their way, they become violent. The city needs to start taking harsh steps to deal with the lawlessness that is at epic proportions,” said Mthethwa.
IFP councillor Mdu Nkosi said that what happened in Springfield was an escalation of what city workers went through daily when they were outside their offices.
“City workers are attacked and their cars are hijacked. We have seen this happen when they are on site working, and that is why we have cases where water employees receive a security escort when going on site,” he said.
“One would expect that in the municipality’s offices there would be security, and if someone gets shot and the assailants walk out, it tells you that the security in municipal buildings is lacking and the workers are vulnerable,” he said.
“We need to ask, does the municipality have security? We are not just talking about the personnel at the gate, fortunes are being spent on cameras. After the person had been shot, what security measures kicked in thereafter to ensure the culprits were caught?”
Xolani Dube of the SA Municipal Workers Union said engagements would be held with the city to address the issue of safety.
“At the moment the investigations are still at a very early stage. Workers’ safety is paramount – a place of work is supposed to be safe for the workers, it cannot be that one can walk in and do something like this,” he said.
The municipality would not comment on the shooting, saying: “The matter has been handed over to the police, who are investigating.”
THE MERCURY