Durban - Residents of uMkhanyakude District Municipality in northern KwaZulu-Natal have called on President Cyril Ramaphosa and the police to prioritise the fight against cross-border crime.
This follows the torching of four vehicles on the R22 between Huhluwe and Manguzi last weekend. The residents allegedly spotted vehicles with Mozambican number plates and gave chase.
In an incident prior to that, a bus on the R22 coming from Mozambique was torched during a community protest.
Residents in the district said they fear the escalating situation.
According to Elijah Mthembu, 58, from the Mnqobokazi area, who has twice fallen victim to crime, said they were not at peace. A bullet grazed his head when he was shot at while his wife was shot in the leg on Monday, January 30.
“While I was in school where I teach, I received an urgent call from my son informing me that my neighbours were being attacked. I rushed there and before I could enter, I was shot at. They also shot my wife who was following me in her vehicle,” he said.
The family was also attacked in 2006. Criminals broke into their home, assaulted his daughter and stole Mthembu’s vehicle.
He said he hoped Ramaphosa would play a role in the fight against crime.
“We are waiting on President Cyril Ramaphosa to take decisive measures by engaging with the Mozambican government and agreeing on ways to curb this scourge and return our stolen cars. We also want the SAPS to be equipped with resources so that we can actually see a change,” said Mthembu.
Councillor for Ward 1 in the Mnqobokazi area, Zenzele Ntuli, said they wished that the president would establish ways to return the stolen vehicles.
“The situation is intense. The president should do something and hold the relevant people accountable because it cannot be that an entire stolen vehicle is smuggled into a country and the authorities know nothing about that. I refuse to believe that they are working alone,” he said.
Ntuli said the situation remained tense, with residents ready to take the law into their own hands should there be no improvement.
Provincial police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Netshuinda said the entire district had been noted as of concern to the police and that all parts of it had been affected by vehicle-related crimes.
He added there was an investigation under way into the identities of those responsible for the vehicle-related crimes.
“Vehicles are stolen and/or hijacked all over the country and for a fact that they are able to cross the border. This gives police reason to believe that there could be a syndicate at play but that can only be confirmed when a breakthrough has been made and suspects have been arrested,” he said.
He added that community engagement sessions with the National Commissioner of Police, General Fanie Masemola, exposed the prevalence of other crimes, such as house robberies and theft.
More than 100 police officers have been deployed in the area to bring stability and provide visibility and effective policing to the vast area towards the border.
During his visit on Tuesday, Masemola announced a decision to move the SAPS district offices from KwaMsane to either Manguzi or Hluhluwe which would be close to areas where most crimes were happening. This would bring district leadership close to the constituencies.
MEC for Transport Community Safety and Liaison, Sipho Hlomuka, also expressed his concerns. He urged law enforcement agencies to beef up deployments, and warned the community against taking the law into their own hands.
SUNDAY TRIBUNE