In Diepsloot, residents are again on the verge of protesting rising crime that they accuse law enforcement authorities of not dealing with.
Residents from Randburg and surrounding areas flocked to the Randburg Magistrate’s Court to watch five of their fellow residents face murder charges, among others, for the weekend mob killings.
“The people of Diepsloot are very much tired. As you know we’re a community that has been on the streets for the past three years pleading with the government to intervene to stop the high rate of crime. Over the past weeks people were being killed like animals day in and day out and to our surprise these boys were even fighting amongst themselves firing guns in that congested space with so many shacks. People who are here some of us lost family members so community reacted. Up to now we haven’t had a single government official coming to find out what’s happening in that community,” said community leader Lefa Nkala.
“We are on our own as South Africans. Its painful. Let’s go out and mobilise. Let’s go and shutdown that police station that is not serving us,” said another community leader, Che Serobedi, to a cheering crowd.
The National Prosecuting Authority in Gauteng has refuted the claims by the community saying there’s several crime fighting initiatives focusing on the area.
“It is unfortunate that the community feels that way reasons being as the national prosecuting authority we came with an intervention of community prosecutions whereby we have a designated prosecutor that is based in Diepsloot and deals with cases emanating from Diepsloot and in that initiative we work with our stakeholders community based organisations like NPO NGOs,we work with law enforcement authorities like JMPD,SAPS as well as correctional services,” said NPA Gauteng spokesperson Phindi Mjonondwana.
“the leaders within that community can attest to what we are saying as the NPA cause they know about these initiatives. They’re part of these meetings where have different forums where discuss especially the irritants within the community of Diepsloot and try to involve them as the community in finding solutions,” Mjonondwana added.
“It’s highly politicised. When they talk about talking to leaders they are talking to their puppets there from their organisations and we cannot be told by whoever who is outside Diepsloot as to what’s happening in Diepsloot, we are not tourists some of us in Diepsloot,we stay there,we sleep there,” said Nkala suggesting law enforcement agencies dealt with the community along party lines.
A bail application against the alleged vigilantes has been postponed until next Wednesday.
Diepsloot mob attack timeline:
- Friday Night: Two bodies discovered in Diepsloot.
- Saturday Morning: Five bodies discovered in another section of Diepsloot.
- Saturday Morning: Police draw a link between the bodies.
- Monday: One man arrested and allegedly leads police to four others who are also detained.
- Wednesday: The five appear in the Randburg Magistrate Court where case is postponed to Wednesday.