SA GANG TERRORISING MATSANJENI FOLK

MATSANJENI – Matsanjeni South residents may not be looking forward to Christmas because they are living in constant fear.

This is because a gang, believed to be from Pongola in neighbouring South Africa, is said to be terrorising the area with a spate of crimes. It has been established that the armed gang, which according to residents, is a mixture of South African and Eswatini nationals, has been giving the locals sleepless nights, raiding shops and homes before forcefully taking valuables in the process.

A businesswoman, identified as Make Mhlanga, is one of the victims of this crime, after her shop, situated near the Matsanjeni Health Centre, was broken into by the gang, where all the goods inside were stolen and nothing was left. She claims that this was the second time this misfortune befell her and has left her with a huge loss of over E10 000.

“I was given the shop by my father before he passed away, after accepting that I was not very fortunate with marriage. This was to be my only source of income, but the robbers are making life very difficult for me. I can’t even sleep at night, since I am always worried that they will return to rob my shop. While most people are in the Christmas mood, we at Matsanjeni fear for our lives,” Mhlanga said.

Robbing

Adding, she stated that the absence of a police station in the area was not making the situation any better, as the gang is said to be having a field day attacking and robbing people and businesses without the fear of being arrested. “These robbers are aware that there is no police station at Matsanjeni and so, they are doing as they please. The scary part is that we know some of these people, because they are from our area and they are not afraid to point guns at us when committing the offences. It is not safe to even go to the shop because you always have to look over your shoulder,” she further said.

Another resident, who runs a hardware store in the area, claimed that the gang was targeting specific households when committing the offences. “You immediately become a target once you own a business here, because in their minds, you are rich with money. “The serious concern is that these boys carry guns and they are not afraid to shoot anybody who disobeys their order. We do not feel safe at all.

“During this time of the year, you are visited by relatives to enjoy Christmas but at the rate things are happening, I am not sure if it is a good idea for them to visit. It is just too risky,” he further said. Worth highlighting is that this is the same area where four people were hacked and killed by a mob at Nkonka, an area under Matsanjeni South. This happened in January this year and it was reported that the four were among a group of men wanted by the residents, in connection with a string of housebreaking and robberies in the area. It was said that the area was plagued by a crime wave, mostly targeting shops and bars and those killed were alleged to be among those involved in the attacking and robbing of about 10 businesses and homes.

Hacked

In one of the spine-chilling incidents, an elderly woman was hacked with a bush knife on her back by people who were demanding money from her. The elderly woman had to be admitted to Matsanjeni Health Centre. Some residents revealed that some of the victims of the crime were workers at the health centre and textile firms who live in rented flats around Matsanjeni. During the same period (January), it was reported that a block of rental flats in Matsanjeni was broken into, where tenants were robbed of cellphones and money, among other things.

In some cases, it has been gathered that the robbers helped themselves to clothes that were on the washing line and as a result, some shops, mostly owned by businesspeople of Asian origin, had to close down amid the robberies, which occurred on a monthly basis. It has been gathered that the thugs would at times, fetch some of the businessmen who owned shops from their homes before ordering them to open the business premises and surrender money to them. It was said that all the robberies were conducted at gunpoint, while others were carrying bush knives.

Gathered information was that since the names of the people involved in the alleged robberies were known to the residents of the area, they (residents), at the time, took matters into their own hands and resolved to deal with the alleged thugs. Subsequently, one of the deceased was seen walking past one of the shops, suspected to be headed to his home, when he was called by a group of people who questioned him about the robberies in the area. While attempting to respond to some of the questions, he was doused with petrol and set alight on the spot. He was burnt to death.

Confidential

Chief Police Information and Communications Officer Senior Superintendent Phindile Vilakati, said even though this remains confidential information, police have strategies in place to manage crime throughout all parts of the country during the festive season. “Crimes are different in the country and they vary from community to community. So, we advise each community to touch base with their respective crime prevention centres and speak to the Station Commander. “They should devise strategies to work with the police during this festive season, to ensure that they are protected at all times.

“We also have crime prevention plans in place to assist in this regard, but this is not for public consumption. Police will definitely be on the lookout for any criminal elements in the respective communities in the country,” she said.
Another resident, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the local bars were no longer safe for people to relax and socialise, due to the growing number of stabbing incidents.

“In the past weekend, we had over seven stabbing incidents in a local bar and people had to be taken to the Matsanjeni Health Centre for treatment in just one weekend. It is very bad because these criminals have easy access to guns and are very heartless.”

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