Cape Town - Mayoral committee member for safety and security, Alderman JP Smith, said all service delivery vehicles had been instructed to withdraw from the Nyanga area immediately after violence broke out in the area on Friday morning.
Smith said the decision was made after two Golden Arrow buses, a City of Cape Town truck and light-duty vehicle, along with an Eskom light-duty vehicle, was petrol bombed.
“The City of Cape Town condemns the attacks on vehicles in Nyanga this morning.
“Between 6.50am and 8.30am, five vehicles were targeted with petrol-bombs,” Smith said.
At 6.50am, a Golden Arrow bus along Emms Drive at the Nyanga Terminus was struck.
At 6.55am, a Solid Waste truck along Emms Drive and Govan Mbeki was struck.
At 5.08am, a light duty Eskom vehicle was struck along Eisleben and Govan Mbeki Roads.
At 8.10am, a Golden Arrow bus along Govan Mbeki and Symphony Way was struck and at 8.30am a Solid Waste light-duty vehicle was struck along Klipfontein and Borcherds Quarry.
“Our staff are working closely with the South African Police Service (SAPS) to track down the persons responsible for these heinous acts.
“While the motive has not been established, we suspect it could be in response to operations yesterday to locate the taxi driver and owner who escaped custody when the Philippi East police station was violently attacked last week,” Smith said.
He said the City would be ramping up its deployments in the area to assist police in catching the perpetrators and also mitigate the risk of further attacks.
Smith has appealed to the public to come forward with any information they may have regarding the attacks.
Residents are encouraged to call the City’s Public Emergency Communication Centre on 021 480 7700 from a cell phone or 107 from a landline.
Alternatively, call SAPS on 0860 010 111.