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The Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Nomthetheleli Mene has hailed the work of the Investigating Task team for their major breakthrough in arresting a member of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) on Tuesday, January 24.
Police spokesperson, Brigadier Tembinkosi Kinana said that the suspect from one of the local villages in the Majola area is facing charges relating to murder, arson and attempted murder. He will appear before the Port St John’s Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, January 26.
Kinana said that the arrest follows the recent visit by Mene to the violence stricken area where she engaged various local leaders, including eNyandeni Kingdom and community members in different villages.
"In the recent incident that shocked the people of the Eastern Cape, approximately more than 50 homesteads and 97 houses were burnt down by unknown suspects in Bhuje locality," Kinana said.
“During the visit Mene made a commitment to act against anyone found to have been involved in the atrocious crimes committed in the village of Majola in Port St Johns. The suspect's arrest comes after Mene ordered the establishment of a task team to conduct investigations on the deadly crimes against the people of Majola.”
Mene expressed gratitude to the community for supporting the work of the police during the ongoing investigations.
“Police investigations will continue to establish the motive for the killings. This is just the beginning of the great work of the investigating team. My concern is the root cause of these faction fights, so that we can put a stop to these unwanted killings and destruction of property sooner than later. The arrested suspect must point us to more culprits because we believe that he cannot execute this ugly work alone in those villages,” Mene said.
Anyone with information that could lead to more arrests can contact the Port St Johns police station or Crime Stop at 08600 10111.
