The City of Cape Town says it will halt services in any areas where their staff are being threatened by extortionists.
This comes after refuse collection teams were intimidated by armed men in Nyanga and Gugulethu.
According to the City, areas like Philippi East, Lower Crossroads and Nyanga have all fallen victim to skollies demanding protection fees.
It stated that last Thursday, a refuse crew was working in A Fenqe Street in Nyanga when they were approached by eight armed men.
They demanded a protection fee for the workers to have safe passage through the area, and robbed one staff member of his phone. Refuse collection has been suspended in the area.
On Wednesday, the City also suspended its services in Gugulethu following a similar incident.
City spokesperson Luthando Tyhalibongo informed residents that they should keep their vullis on their property and recycle and compost their waste until services resume.
“Composting and recycling can assist in reducing waste that must be stored in the wheelie bin, as well as the risk of pests,” Tyhalibongo said.
“The City is launching an anti-extortion campaign in an effort to increase the reporting of incidents to assist Saps, who is the lead investigative and crime-fighting body in South Africa, with investigation and successful prosecution,” he added.
Since July, Tyhalibongo adds, nearly 1 000 fines have been issued for illegal dumping and littering, with a total of around R1.7 million.
Meanwhile, services in Manenberg have also been temporarily suspended following a flare-up in gang violence.
Vanessa Adriaanse, chairperson of the Manenberg Community Policing Forum, says waste collection services are a necessity.
“The service is already poor because we can see how our community is looking. By having no services, the City is sending out a poor message,” she added.
byron.lukas@inl.co.za