Besieged security guards plead for more firepower
Fidelity operatives feeling ‘hunted’ as number of fatal attacks rises
Feeling hunted with a major target on their backs, Fidelity Services Group operatives say they are not adequately prepared for the increased dangers they face on a daily basis.
Their outcry was spurred by the recent murder of Christopher George, 22, gunned down last week while escorting a bread delivery truck through KwaNobuhle in Nelson Mandela Bay.
On Thursday morning, after being ill for a few days, his three-year-old daughter was finally better and George returned to work as a security escort.
As he was leaving his Arcadia home, he spoke to his mother for the last time.
“He said, ‘Mommy, my baby is better and I’m going back to work. You can rest today’.
“But a few hours later we got the call and I knew I would never see my son again,” a tearful Valencia Green said.
“He lived for his family, and he would have been married in two months’ time.
“Now he has been taken from us.”
George was part of a security detail escorting a bread delivery truck on its morning route in KwaNobuhle when he was caught in a gunfight with a group of armed robbers in Gqabi Street at around 9am.
He was killed on the scene and robbed of his firearm.
At least one of his attackers was wounded in the crossfire and died later in hospital, while two others were arrested shortly afterwards.
George’s colleagues fear they might be next.
“It feels like we are being hunted down and every day we go out there’s a massive target on our backs,” one employee said.
In July, two Fidelity operatives were killed, and two others wounded, while also escorting a bread truck through Joe Slovo.
Initial investigations indicate they were ambushed by a heavily armed group and targeted specifically for their firearms.
According to the employee, there have been similar incidents in recent months, and he believes Fidelity operatives are being targeted because they are not properly equipped for the work they do. “We’re at a tactical disadvantage.
“We come face to face with gangs armed with high-calibre assault rifles and we’re given revolvers with five or six shots.
“If you’re lucky, you get a 9mm with maybe 15 rounds.
“But then your attackers still come at you with much more firepower.”
He said they were being watched and the attackers planned ambushes in advance, putting them at a further disadvantage when they headed into townships with narrow streets.
“The operatives are not being trained properly.
“You show up with basic training and certification, next thing you’re put into an armed escort with a revolver.
“This is not OK and we cannot keep putting our lives at risk.”
Fidelity Services Group chief executive Wahl Bartmann said they were taking steps to improve the safety of their operatives in light of the increasingly challenging working conditions.
“We fully appreciate the stress our officers and crew operate under.
“It is unfortunate that the high level of lawlessness in our country continues unabated.
“We monitor and manage the situation very carefully to ensure our staff are protected as much as possible,” Bartmann said.
Disputing the claims of a lack of training, he said operatives received regular training and the company had invested in improved equipment.
“All our officers and crews receive in-depth regular training.
“We have also invested heavily in infrastructure.
“All crews are provided with armoured vehicles and the necessary personal protection equipment, including firearms.
“We have just taken delivery of an additional three armoured vehicles in the Eastern Cape as added protection.
“We will continue to place the safety of our officers and crew as our highest priority,”
‘He said, ‘Mommy, my baby is better and I’m going back to work. You can rest today’. But a few hours later we got the call and I knew I would never see my son again’
Bartmann said.
Reflecting on the events of Thursday, Green said it was a morning like any other.
George woke her up early and thanked her for looking after his daughter, Chrisshey.
He told her he could not wait to get home from work and spend time with them.
He then left with a big smile on his face.
Shortly after 9am, George’s fiancée, Chandré Grebe, received a call from one of his colleagues, telling her there was an incident and they were waiting for more details.
“About 15 minutes later, another colleague phoned and told us Christopher had been shot and killed and we should come to the scene,” Green said.
On arrival, they were told to wait to one side as detectives and forensic services were still working on the scene.
Eventually, the police called them over to the pathologist’s vehicle where George’s body was ready to be taken away.
“Even though I saw his body there, I still can’t believe that was my son,” Green said.
“It can’t be true that my son died.
“I still wait for him to wake me up every morning, to tell me he is going to work.
“I still wait for him every night to come through the front door with that big smile on his face.
“We were planning his wedding.
“He told me every day that we are running out of time and we need to make the final arrangements, and I kept telling him we still have plenty of time.”
George s stepfather, Ryno McCharlie, said they were left with more questions than answers.
“What will be done to protect these other young men [trying] to make an honest living?”
Shortly after George’s death, the culprits dropped one of their accomplices at a nearby hospital where he died from his wounds.
According to unconfirmed reports, a second culprit also died.
“It made me proud to know Christopher fought back.
“I was always very proud of him, but knowing he defended himself bravely and took one or even two of his attackers down with him, makes me even more proud,” McCharlie said.
Thulani Tsana, 20, and Phumezi Menze, 34, appeared briefly in the KwaNobuhle Magistrate’s Court yesterday on charges of murder and possession of stolen property.
They must return to court on Thursday.
Police spokesperson Captain Gerda Swart said additional charges could be added.