'Stop hijacking our vullislorries'

THE City of Cape Town has made a heartfelt plea to criminals in the Western Cape to please stop hijacking VULLISLORRIES. 

This includes an incident where Bingo, the anti-litter mascot, and the driver were hijacked. 

A statement released by the City read: “The City’s Urban Waste Management Directorate strongly condemns the ongoing hijackings and violent attacks targeting its staff and vehicles across the metro. 

“These criminal acts not only place the lives of our frontline workers at risk, but also undermine the critical waste collection and cleansing services that millions of residents rely on.

“The hijacking of Urban Waste Management vehicles are a concern for the City of Cape Town.

“A total of 57 cases were reported between the July 2024 and June 2025 financial year, with a significant concentration in the Cape Flats areas, and certain parts of the Overberg subregion. 

“This includes the incident when Bingo, the anti-litter mascot, and his driver were hijacked. Only 21 of the hijacked vehicles have been recovered.” 

Mayoral Committee Member for Urban Waste Management, Alderman Grant Twigg, said: “The hijacking of service vehicles is unacceptable, and I want to state in the strongest terms that the City condemns these actions. 

“Our staff are simply trying to do their jobs – keeping our communities clean and healthy. They are public servants, not targets.

“The hijackings have not only disrupted waste collection services, but have also taken a profound emotional and psychological toll on the frontline staff involved. 

“In some cases, personnel have had to be admitted to hospital for acute stress, and others have reported symptoms consistent with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

“We continue to work with law enforcement to safeguard staff, and bring perpetrators to justice.”