“One of the criminals wanted to shoot us in the legs but his gang members discouraged him from doing that.”

These are the words of a technician from Tshwane who said she had been attacked five times in Jukulyn, Shoshanguve.

The employee who asked to remain anonymous recalled one incident in March last year.

“Due to previous criminal incidents we had experienced in Jukulyn, we decided to go as a group of nine workers in three cars [when we responded to a call that day].

“While I was in the cherry picker fixing dysfunctional streetlamps, I heard a gun shot. The criminals ordered me to come down and climb out of the cherry picker. They told us to stand against a fence, saying we shouldn't look at them. They started searching us, taking cellphones and money as well as other valuable items,” said the electrician.

“As they were leaving, we [turned and] looked at them. They pulled out guns and started shooting in our direction. We had to run, leaving the cars behind. The thugs ran in the opposite direction,” she said.

She said the incidents traumatised her so much that she was scared to do her job.

She said the city had since provided her and other employees with counselling.

“Though I've not mentally recovered from the ordeal, I still attend to electrical faults in Jukulyn provided that I go there with security,” she said.