It’s been five weeks since the four contract workers were killed in Sarel Hattingh Street, Klippoortjie, in Germiston.
ALSO READ: Four contract workers mistaken for cable thieves killed in Cruywagen Park
Elsburg SAPS spokesperson Daphney Phooko confirmed that two arrests were made on March 11 following the contractors’ murders.
At the time of the murders, allegations surfaced that the men were attacked by Cruywagen Park community members angered by the lack of service delivery. Contractors expressed their fear of attending to complaints in Cruywagen and Graceland.
Cruywagen Park residents have since spoken to GCN but wished to remain anonymous due to fears of unwarranted criticism and attacks.
“We only wanted our power. It was heartbreaking that these men were here to assist the community and ended up losing their lives.
“But for people to say Cruywagen was responsible for their deaths, is wrong,” one resident told GCN.
“Now we are described as people who kill when services are not delivered,” said the resident.
ALSO READ: Germiston cable theft needs to be addressed
Another resident said the area has been struggling with service delivery for months and not even once have they resorted to violence.
“We have been having service delivery issues for years and we have learned to live or come up with solutions to solve them.
“They need to catch the people who killed these men.
“No one deserves to die like that no matter what they have done,” said another resident from Cruywagen.
Cruywagen Park residents are not the only ones to complain about service delivery.
Graceland Estate suffered a power outage that lasted over five days recently.
A resident of Graceland, Thabo Khumalo, said they have been having power issues for months.
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“In March we had low voltage and we ended up with no power. Since the killing of those four men we have been struggling,” said Khumalo.
He said contractors are afraid to come to the area.
“Contractors are escorted by police for their safety. As residents, we have taken it upon ourselves to ensure they are safe.
“We are willing to stand guard until they finish working,” said Khumalo.
An inquiry was sent to the City of Ekurhuleni on March 15 regarding service delivery concerns and the CoE’s plans to ensure contractors’ safety in future.
A follow-up request was made on March 24. No comment was received at the time of going to print.
