### A bizarre problem on one of my projects.

I have one project that has an interesting problem, namely the public in the area. It is supposed to be a straight forward project due to the scope of works, they are doing routine road maintenance on various roads around the Western Cape. Look at the photograph below for a bit of insight into the problem
![20180216_120857.jpg](https://res.cloudinary.com/hpiynhbhq/image/upload/v1519240626/kbwhc8zpt3xtymthkz4q.jpg)

The photo was taken from a distance away so sorry for the poor quality, as you can see the flagman is standing on duty with a machete. The machete is not used for work, it is purely for protection. Last week while moving into the area about 20+ residents stormed at them with machetes and stick shouting angrily. They chased the employees away from the area and demanded work. They were chasing employees away that were employed to better their area, part of the road maintenance include grass cutting, litter picking and repairing broken fences.

Below is a group of litter pickers. While checking their kit (overalls, safety shoes and reflective vests) I saw that there was a security vehicle hanging close by the team. as you can see they are working quite close to the houses and are at risk of being attacked.
![20180216_115658.jpg](https://res.cloudinary.com/hpiynhbhq/image/upload/v1519240816/x6voxjfazyd6m8xnuyyz.jpg)

Usually on a project like this they would be required to deploy traffic management signage, but due to the theft of signs they were given permission to work without it. Thieves would run from the nearby houses, grab one of the signs and disappear back into the labyrinth of shacks (informal houses).
![20180216_115415.jpg](https://res.cloudinary.com/hpiynhbhq/image/upload/v1519241011/uvsvwfr4wdl3cdtaup1n.jpg)

When I stopped to take the pictures their supervisor stopped by me to warn me that it is quite a dangerous area. The fact that he looked and sounded quite anxious told me that he was telling the truth. He told me to be careful and not stay to long.

It is sad that in this day and age one should be afraid of doing your job, especially if you have worked hard at it and you have someone to support. 
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