Berea Mail concerned about safety of its crew

THE Berea Mail distribution department says they are concerned about the safety of their contracted crew following a harrowing incident recently in which one of the women on the team came under attack. Berea Mail, published by Caxton Local Media, hits the road every Thursday, and weekly delivery trucks and crew can be seen popping your favourite community newspaper into postboxes around Berea suburbs.

The 36-year-old crew member was attacked by a youngster wielding a knife and a hammer. She was also stabbed in the incident as two boys ran behind and tried to mug her.

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This is according to Linda Mtshali, a Caxton Local Media supervisor, who said the incident occurred at the corners of Alton and Levelhall Road, in Umbilo, recently. The crew member, who wishes to remain anonymous, said she had taken her phone out of her pocket to make a call when the attackers pounced. Shortly after ending the call, she felt a sharp object pressed to her neck, after which she was hit with a hammer.

“When I realised they were just boys, that’s when I decided to run after them and retrieve my phone. [One of the boys] tried to stab me, but I reacted quickly, and he stabbed my hand as I wrestled him for my phone. Soon after, the residents and Blue Security came out and helped apprehend the suspect,” she said.

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Mtshali said the perpetrators are two young boys, both 15 years old, from Mayville. “I made my way to the location she had sent me to in order to give her more papers. When I arrived, I discovered that she was mugged shortly after our call and that she had sustained injuries from the knife and hammer. She was stable but visibly shaken as she kept saying those boys are the same age as her son,” added Mtshali.

The injured crew member was rushed to hospital. “Fortunately, she didn’t suffer any major damage – she did suffer some bruising – and was able to come back to work four days after. Incidents like this, though, worry us as contractors because this is not the first time something like this has happened. The safety of our workers is a big concern, and they are our responsibility as their employers. We thank the community for intervening and assisting as soon as they did,” added Phila Shangase, the Caxton Local Media contractor who employs the paper distributor.

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