Cape Town - The City of Cape Town has upped its criminal finders fee from R5 000 to R100 000 to trace those behind the fatal attack on one of its officials at a housing site in Delft last week.
As reported in the Weekend Argus, City of Cape Town staffer Wendy Kloppers was gunned down whilst inspecting the Delft Symphony Way housing project site on Thursday, February 16.
“Kloppers who worked in the City’s Environmental Affairs Department was one of five people shot at the Power Construction’s N2 Gateway site in just a week.”
Speaking from the housing project site the morning after the fatal shooting, Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis condemned the incident saying the City, was devastated but would not give in to threats and acts of intimidation by selfish thugs.
He said: “We are calling on police to do whatever it takes to hunt down and find the perpetrators responsible for this violence. We are also increasing our reward to R100 000 for information leading to the successful prosecution of those responsible for the murder of this City official.”
“I have been in contact with the family of our deceased staff member to convey our deepest condolences. We feel devastated as an organisation today, and have a clear message for the public, the Delft community, and the future beneficiaries of this housing project. Help us find the killers! and help us protect this housing project so that it is not derailed.”
“We will not be intimidated by selfish thugs, we have a mission to deliver much-needed housing to our poorest communities that need it,” Hill-Lewis said.
Hill-Lewis was joined at the site by Mayoral Committee Member for Human Settlements Malusi Booi, who has also spoke out against the attacks on the City’s housing projects over the past few months.
Booi said: “This is a R500 million housing project set to benefit 3 300 people, including some of the most vulnerable in the metro including from Blikkiesdorp. The site is temporarily being closed for safety reasons and for the SAPS investigation and the City will be considering the next steps to get the project up and running again.”
“The City will continue to pursue our six-point plan to help reduce the incidents of violence, criminality, and extortion at our housing projects which is threatening some R1 billion in projects.”
Booi said: “Besides the R100 000 reward for the info to successfully prosecute the killers of our staff member, in general we are also offering rewards of R5 000 for info leading to arrests of anyone targeting City housing projects with extortion and violence across the metro.”
Just last week, Booi announced the City’s plan to tackle the increasing attacks on its housing projects across the metro.
The plan which was unveiled in the form of six points included initiatives and directives for the City to work closely with the SAPS, and calling on the NPA to step up efforts to help bring the criminals to book.
It also spoke of enhancing security at the projects and increased monitoring, and:
* Ensuring that more cases were being investigated by SAPS across the metro.
* Offering monetary rewards for information that would lead to arrests of those targeting housing projects with extortion or violence.
“Members of the community may give anonymous tips and our communities must stand with the City and law enforcement authorities. The reward amount may be upped according to City protocols where so deemed,” Booi said/
He also announced that greater City law enforcement resources would be utilised to help protect projects and teams working on the ground.
The City of Cape Town also called on local communities to support it its efforts to serve them.