Angry Diepsloot residents on Tuesday played a cat-and-mouse game with the police as they went on a rampage forcing local shops to close while attacking and trying to demolish houses allegedly used by criminals as hideouts.
The residents have alleged that foreign nationals were behind the crimes that have led to the death of six people including a Community Police Forum (CPF) Chairperson John Makola who was shot and later died in hospital.
Community leader Loyiso Toyiya said the six people were killed after the community had protested “peacefully” and went around demolishing homes and shacks belonging to criminals.
“You remember last week we had a very peaceful protest going from house to house, shack to shack demolishing houses that are hiding criminals. After that we made the call that we want President Cyril Ramaphosa to come to Diepsloot.
“The following day after the protest two people were killed on a Saturday, later on, Makola was shot, on Sunday we received news that he lost his life. The community decided that since the President is not heeding our call to come to Diepsloot they must go the streets and now they are not peaceful, they are burning tyres and infrastructure that they believe are the hiding place for the criminals,” he said.
Deputy Chairperson for Diepsloot Community Forum Lefa Nkala threatened to escalate the protest to the N14 if the President didn’t come.
“We are burning tyres on our own roads in Diepsloot but we will escalate this if the President doesn’t respond positively and will take the protest to the national road, N14,” Nkala said.
As the head of the State it’s his responsibility to protect the citizens unlike people in Fourways who can afford private security, we can’t.”
He accused the Tactical Response Team, known as Amaberete, in the area of being ineffective.
“Come 8pm you will find them at Sasol garage, parking there, not confronting crime and they only patrol the main roads, they don’t go to places where people are dying. Does it mean people in the shacks must die because they can’t come?” he said.
Gauteng Police Spokesperson Brigadier Brenda Muridili said there were numerous arrests made but none for the murder of the six people..
“There were six murders in Diepsloot since the beginning of June, we have made several arrests including six suspects that were arrested for attempted murder and house robbery, three suspects were arrested for separate cases of armed robbery, five for pointing firearms,” Muridili said.
Muridili admitted that police are unable to access some areas when patrolling.
“During the day there are patrols by all law enforcement agencies including the police, crime wardens as well as metro police and CPF, during the night they also patrol but they are not able to access those areas.”
