The private truck and water which was hired by Tasneem Ismail to distribute water to the residents.
Image: Supplied
AFTER a violent assault during a community water distribution effort, community worker Tasneem Ismail said she was traumatised, and feared for her safety.
The 27-year-old private tutor and counselling intern claimed she had been distributing water to residents in Polular Road in Northdale, Pietermaritzburg, when she was attacked.
“The residents had been without municipal water for four consecutive days. I obtained a private truck and water from a private source to distribute it to the residents. I also hired helpers to assist the elderly residents to carry their buckets of water from the truck to their homes,” said Ismail.
She said many residents were also struggling with the heatwave and could not afford to buy water.
Ismail said on the fourth day of distribution, the water truck was parked outside her sister’s home on Polular Road – as it had been on the previous three days.
She said tensions flared when an elderly man arrived with approximately 10 buckets for water.
“I explained to him that I could not fill so many buckets for one person. We argued back and forth. Eventually my brother agreed to fill all his buckets if he lined them up next to the water truck,” she said.
Ismail said the situation escalated when the elderly man’s son and a neighbour then insisted that the truck be moved further up the road, closer to their homes.
“They insisted that it was a municipal water truck and demanded it be moved to outside their homes. I tried explaining it was a private truck. However, two young men then started verbally abusing and insulting me,” she added.
Ismail said she told them she was closing up and leaving.
She alleged as she began dismantling the pipes from the truck, one of the younger men punched her while the other held a pipe against her throat.
“My brother tried to intervene, but the violence just intensified. They then turned on him. He tried going into his yard but they followed him and continuously punched his head and kicked him,” said Ismail
She said when she tried to help her brother, the elderly man hit her with a bucket, knocking her to the ground.
“One man then picked up the water pipe and threatened me. The assault started behind the truck and ended in front of the house. Cameras caught the latter part of the assault,” she added.
Ismail said several residents initially attempted to defuse the situation, but stepped back when the violence intensified.
“More community members then stepped in to pull the attackers off us,” she said.
She claimed the attackers continued with their verbal threats and called a gang of about 10 men.
“The gang recognised us as those who gave out the water, and refused to fight us,” she said.
She said a private security company intervened and they managed to leave the neighbourhood with the truck.
Ismail said she and her brother were treated by a doctor and they had opened a case of assault with the Mountain Rise SAPS.
“I received injuries to the back of my head, neck, lower back and knee. My brother had severe head injuries,” she said.
Ismail claimed that to date, she had not been interviewed by the police despite telling them she had video footage of the incident.
“I called the station several times to get an update on the case, but was just told to wait. The lack of feedback and action from the SAPS is seriously frustrating. They are clearly not taking GBV cases seriously.”
Ismail said the attackers lived on the same road where she worked five days a week.
“I am in constant fear. They send threats to various people while I am in public. I have proof of such. However, I cannot tell the investigating officer as no one has initiated contact,” she claimed.
“The assault has shaken and scared me. I used to love doing charity work, helping my community, and making a difference. But now I cannot bring myself to continue,” she said.
She said since the incident she had sleepless nights and flashbacks, and was hypervigilant.
“GBV is not just a statistic. It is a life-altering experience. The trauma has been suffocating. It is like I am trapped in a never-ending nightmare.”
Ismail said she had been involved in community outreach initiatives for years, but this was the first time she had such an experience.
Despite her fear, Ismail said she was determined to speak out.
“I will not be intimidated into silence. And neither will I let the slow justice process make me feel defeated. To all survivors of GBV, you are not alone. Do not let the perpetrators’ threats scare you into silence. Your voice matters, and you deserve justice.”