Solidarity hand protest memo to police: Telkom employees fall victim to crime in Pretoria CBD

Seven representatives of the trade union Solidarity and AfriForum as well as a Telkom employee, who fell victim to crime near her workplace recently, handed a memorandum to the Pretoria Central Police Station today. The memorandum was handed over in protest against the spate of attacks on Telkom employees at Telkom's offices in the Pretoria city centre over the past month. This comes after two attacks on Telkom employees yesterday morning, which brought the number of attacks over the past month to more than ten. Colonel Joel Phukubye received the memorandum on behalf of the Pretoria Central Police Station.

Some 250 Telkom employees who work at Telkom's offices in the Pretoria CBD indicated their support for the memorandum by means of e-mail and SMS yesterday.

In the latest incidents, two female Telkom employees were accosted in separate incidents in Vermeulen Street yesterday morning while they were on their way to work. According to Debbie van der Merwe, one of the women who was attacked yesterday, everything happened very fast. "At around 06:45 when I was on my way to work, they grabbed me by the throat and tried to yank off my chain. Fortunately, they ran off when I shouted," she says. Van der Merwe was not hurt and only has a scratch on her neck. Another Telkom employee, Nicolene Grové, was also attacked in Vermeulen Street and robbed of her jewellery in January. This case was reported to the police, but Grové has not received any feedback from them yet.

Another victim, Lenise Viljoen, was involved in two incidents in Proes Street in September last year while she was on her way home. On 4 September 2010 her handbag, cell phone and purse were looted and later that month her car's tyres were deflated. Although the police were summoned, they informed Viljoen that she could not report the case, because, according to them, the suspects had escaped and there were no witnesses. Viljoen describes her attackers as very aggressive. "It was an extremely traumatic experience. I was admitted to hospital and had to receive psychological treatment. I was unable to go to work for two weeks," Viljoen says.

"The problem is that Telkom has limited undercover parking for its employees. Many Telkom employees have to park outside the offices on public parking spaces where they are confronted by robbers almost daily, despite various attempts by the employer to provide security for staff," Marius Croucamp, Solidarity spokesperson, explains.

In the memorandum, the trade union, AfriForum and Telkom demand, among other things, that crime prevention be made the number one priority in South Africa and that the investigation into the attacks on Telkom employees be prioritised.

"Working people are the heartbeat of South Africa and crime is killing this heartbeat. Crime causes people to leave the country. Many skilled people who are needed to steer our country and economy are also leaving the country because of crime. In addition, general and investors' confidence in the country is undermined by crime," according to Croucamp.

"We demand that the South African Police Service start dealing with the situation in earnest and ensure a greater police presence in the area. Plain-clothes police officials should also be deployed in the area to prevent crime," he adds.

Statement issued by Marius Croucamp, Spokesperson: Solidarity, February 2 2011

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