Muden community living in fear
2013-03-12 13:28
Mlondi Radebe, The Witness
Pietermaritzburg - Residents in the Muden community near
Greytown trust no one and say they live in fear after the weekend’s massacre of
six men of the Mkhize family.
Some residents told the The Witness they had lost trust and
respect for the police for what they described as continuing harassment during
raids for illegal firearms.
Last Saturday night, five assailants knocked at the doors of
the family homestead posing as policemen. Once the doors were opened, they
began shooting.
Genuine police officers have since been visiting homes in
the area, also searching for firearms.
Scared
Bongani Magushu said some members of the community hid from
the police “because they come whenever they want and intimidate us in our
homes”.
He said most members were unsure what was really happening
in their community.
“What we have found is that these police are not from our
local police station,” Magushu said.
He questioned what firearms the police were looking for
given that the residents had handed theirs in during the firearms amnesty in
2010.
“This [raiding] should be stopped before we are all killed
by these cop impersonators,” Magushu said.
A Mkhize family member, Mlungisi Myaka, said he was scared.
He pleaded with the KZN police commissioner, Lieutenant General
Mmamonnye Ngobeni, to deploy more police to the area.
Myaka said he was not happy with how the police were
conducting raids.
“We’re scared when the sun sets, because we are not sure
what will happen during the night.
“Police always come to our houses at night, bashing and
kicking doors, saying they want illegal firearms.
“Please can there be another way of doing these raids. Can
they come during daylight, so everyone can see that if they are indeed police
officers? We would also like to see identification cards as proof,” Myaka said.
Investigation
Ngobeni said the police would look at how better to protect
the community.
In February, police raided the Mkhize homestead looking for
firearms and found an unlicensed gun belonging to a family member, Mhlengi, who
was killed in Saturday's massacre.
Mhlengi was released without being charged in February and
had told his family that the police had demanded a R1 500 bribe.
Ngobeni said that if the investigation team discovered foul
play in Mhlengi’s case, disciplinary action would be taken against the
officers.
The investigation team is led by Major General Mjabuliswa
Ngcobo and Brigadier Clifford Marion. The two top officers in the province did
not want to comment on the matter.
