Durban community rights activist, Vanessa Burger, has been trying to intervene to help those who have been targeted in the killings at Umlazi hostels.She confirms that most of those targeted are Eastern Cape people and a few from KwaZulu-Natal who have a close association with the Eastern Cape.
She said police tasked with investigating the killings could not be solely blamed as they had no “tools for the job. They have no cellphones, no special vehicles, nothing. The provincial police are failing them.
“Do you expect them to save these dying souls? People are slaughtered in front of them and poor cops can just do nothing.”
KwaZulu-Natal police spokesman Brigadier Jay Naicker said they had appointed a permanent task force to deal with the investigations of criminal cases from Glebelands.
“Ten suspects have been arrested by the task force so far in the hostel,” Naicker said.
Burger said the violence was among ANC members in the hostel. “The ANC is eating itself inside this hostel, yet they are failing to intervene to solve the differences.”
KZN ANC secretary, Super Zuma said: “We have been briefed and we will bring calm in the area”.
Burger said she had become “enemy number one” to police for her “honest” comments on police who are allegedly not doing their work.
She said some of the victims who were on the run could not even get witness protection services from the police.
“We had Sipho Ndovela, who has died. We asked police to put him under the care of a police protection unit seven weeks before he was killed and they never did.
“Instead the enemy arrived first and killed him. We’ve just got a witness in the William Mthembu murder. We are still trying to get that person into witness protection. We fear that he is going to die before he testifies in court. These are just a few cases where police are failing to help,” Burger said.
Ndovela was killed on May 18 and Mthembu on September 12.
“We have the same police officers whose names appear in all the people’s mouths. They suspect these cops are working with the hostel warlords,” Burger said.
“We asked for a satellite police station which is to be run by independent police who are not from Umlazi as we suspect police officers at the station are compromised.”
Burger said because she had been vocal about what was happening, police had turned against her.
“They don’t like me. The police in KwaZulu-Natal have failed these victims. They’ve failed to protect the victims as they say they can’t protect people unless these people make a statement with the police. And if they make statements they die, so who dares to report?” she said.
A private security company has been employed to try and keep peace at the hostels.
Burger said most of the hostel residents were tired of the killings. “A lot of people in that hostel want to get on with their lives. They want to uplift themselves, they want jobs, they don’t want to kill each other, ” she said. — bonganif@dispatch.co.za
Activist speaks out on tragic Umlazi killings
She confirms that most of those targeted are Eastern Cape people and a few from KwaZulu-Natal who have a close association with the Eastern Cape.
She said police tasked with investigating the killings could not be solely blamed as they had no “tools for the job. They have no cellphones, no special vehicles, nothing. The provincial police are failing them.
“Do you expect them to save these dying souls? People are slaughtered in front of them and poor cops can just do nothing.”
KwaZulu-Natal police spokesman Brigadier Jay Naicker said they had appointed a permanent task force to deal with the investigations of criminal cases from Glebelands.
“Ten suspects have been arrested by the task force so far in the hostel,” Naicker said.
Burger said the violence was among ANC members in the hostel. “The ANC is eating itself inside this hostel, yet they are failing to intervene to solve the differences.”
KZN ANC secretary, Super Zuma said: “We have been briefed and we will bring calm in the area”.
Burger said she had become “enemy number one” to police for her “honest” comments on police who are allegedly not doing their work.
She said some of the victims who were on the run could not even get witness protection services from the police.
“We had Sipho Ndovela, who has died. We asked police to put him under the care of a police protection unit seven weeks before he was killed and they never did.
“Instead the enemy arrived first and killed him. We’ve just got a witness in the William Mthembu murder. We are still trying to get that person into witness protection. We fear that he is going to die before he testifies in court. These are just a few cases where police are failing to help,” Burger said.
Ndovela was killed on May 18 and Mthembu on September 12.
“We have the same police officers whose names appear in all the people’s mouths. They suspect these cops are working with the hostel warlords,” Burger said.
“We asked for a satellite police station which is to be run by independent police who are not from Umlazi as we suspect police officers at the station are compromised.”
Burger said because she had been vocal about what was happening, police had turned against her.
“They don’t like me. The police in KwaZulu-Natal have failed these victims. They’ve failed to protect the victims as they say they can’t protect people unless these people make a statement with the police. And if they make statements they die, so who dares to report?” she said.
A private security company has been employed to try and keep peace at the hostels.
Burger said most of the hostel residents were tired of the killings. “A lot of people in that hostel want to get on with their lives. They want to uplift themselves, they want jobs, they don’t want to kill each other, ” she said. — bonganif@dispatch.co.za
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