Crooks are posing as City workers to rob homes, warns mayor Dan Plato.
Someone seeking access to a property to do routine work or any other municipal function should, at the very least, be asked for their staff card, Mr Plato says.
“All municipal workers and contractors must carry a work order number specific to that dwelling and a City-issued identification card.
“Residents should ask to check the official identification card before allowing anyone into their home.”
Identification cards must display the City logo as well as the name, surname and photo of the worker.
The public can report anyone who fails to produce this identification to their local police station or the City’s fraud hotline at 0800 323 130.
According to the City, the only electricity services that will continue are first-line responses to network faults and breakdowns as repairs ensuring safety will be prioritised.
Water and sanitation services will also continue as an essential service, but meter readings have been suspended for the lockdown, and affected residents will get estimated accounts, based on their historical consumption.
“New restrictions due to municipal debt were suspended on Friday March 20. As for existing restrictions due to municipal debt, it must be noted: water is not cut off. It is restricted to a running trickle-flow after numerous warning letters have been sent to pay municipal debt and efforts to engage residents on debt management arrangements have not been successful,” Mr Plato said.
“The water is not cut off, but the flow is reduced so that people can still use the water for hygiene and drinking.”
Services to informal settlements will continue during the lockdown.
“The City deems its basic service offering within informal settlements as ‘critical services’. It continues to provide basic and essential services to existing and historic settlements in accordance with the national standards where it is possible to do so,” Mr Plato said.
“The Western Cape government and national government departments as well as the City are working together to achieve enhanced Covid-19 measures for the most vulnerable groups in society.”
* For faults and emergencies or to report suspicious behaviour, send an SMS to 31220, or email power@capetown.gov.za or faultreport.centre@capetown.gov.za
To check the credentials of someone purporting to be working in water and sanitation services, email water@capetown.gov.za, SMS 31373 or call 0860 103 089 or visit https://eservices1.capetown.gov.za/coct/wapl/zsreq_app/index.html.
