A group dubbed “10 Madodas” have been hailed as the heroes of a small Keiskammahoek village after they helped uncover serious crimes including rape and murder.
The crime-busting group, who work in shifts to ensure villagers in the close knit Gwiligwili village are protected around the clock, have helped police crack two murder cases, three rape cases and a string of burglaries.
They have worked hand-in-hand with the local headman’s committee, community police forum (CPF), local civic organisation and police since the group was formed in early 2014.
The “unique tactics” they use in investigating crime include targeting local youths as informants, secretly camping overnight in yards of those suspected of criminal activities and working closely with communities from surrounding villages.
In one case, the 10 Madodas spotted shoeprints at the house of an elderly rape and burglary victim while searching for leads the morning after the incident.
The prints were identified as belonging to a local boy.
They called the police immediately and the prints resulted in the arrest of the perpetrator, who is now in jail.
In various burglary cases, they coaxed some local youths into helping gather information which resulted in various suspects being apprehended and goods such as TVs, electric appliances and clothing items being recovered and the offenders jailed.
On weekends, the group works closely with tavern owners by walking patrons home to ensure their safety.
The Saturday Dispatch visited Gwiligwili village this week and met Sanco chairman and one of the founders of 10 Madodas, Gugulethu Siwendu.
He said when united, communities can assist law enforcement agencies in defeating the scourge of crime.
“We are not a vigilante group, but we employ unique tactics in tracking and apprehending these rogue elements. We cannot divulge those tactics, but judging by our success rate, they are obviously working,” Siwendu said.
In 2014, a woman from a nearby village was murdered, her daughter raped and their home burnt down.
Through their swift action and intelligence gathering, the 10 Madodas managed to link two local men to the gruesome crime.
They camped overnight outside the house where the suspects were sleeping, before calling police to pounce on them.
The two perpetrators have since been sentenced to lengthy jail terms.
Just last month, the same community managed to track down and arrest two men suspected of being behind the rape and murder of a 21-year-old woman, who disappeared in the early hours of December 26.
Her mutilated body was found four days later stashed in an abandoned house.
A man in his 50s and a youth in his 20s have since been arrested and were in court this week facing rape and murder charges.
CPF member Nyaniso Sigom said crime had decreased drastically since they had mobilised their crime fighting unit.
Headman Mxolisi Solomon also echoed these views. However, he said there were “some elements in the community” who were against their crime fighting tactics.
The station commander at Keiskammahoek Police Station, Lieutenant-Colonel Ncebakazi Nika, appreciates the working relationship between the Gwiligwili community and police, saying many cases, ranging from murder to drug dealing, had been solved through their assistance.
“The group is very active and assist in giving police valuable information in solving most cases and in preventing crime.
“There is a good relationship between police and that community as they provide us with information daily. What they are doing is a good strategy and as a result there is a decrease in crime in that area,” Nika said. — asandan@dispatch.co.za
‘10 Madodas’ crush crime
The crime-busting group, who work in shifts to ensure villagers in the close knit Gwiligwili village are protected around the clock, have helped police crack two murder cases, three rape cases and a string of burglaries.
They have worked hand-in-hand with the local headman’s committee, community police forum (CPF), local civic organisation and police since the group was formed in early 2014.
The “unique tactics” they use in investigating crime include targeting local youths as informants, secretly camping overnight in yards of those suspected of criminal activities and working closely with communities from surrounding villages.
In one case, the 10 Madodas spotted shoeprints at the house of an elderly rape and burglary victim while searching for leads the morning after the incident.
The prints were identified as belonging to a local boy.
They called the police immediately and the prints resulted in the arrest of the perpetrator, who is now in jail.
In various burglary cases, they coaxed some local youths into helping gather information which resulted in various suspects being apprehended and goods such as TVs, electric appliances and clothing items being recovered and the offenders jailed.
On weekends, the group works closely with tavern owners by walking patrons home to ensure their safety.
The Saturday Dispatch visited Gwiligwili village this week and met Sanco chairman and one of the founders of 10 Madodas, Gugulethu Siwendu.
He said when united, communities can assist law enforcement agencies in defeating the scourge of crime.
“We are not a vigilante group, but we employ unique tactics in tracking and apprehending these rogue elements. We cannot divulge those tactics, but judging by our success rate, they are obviously working,” Siwendu said.
In 2014, a woman from a nearby village was murdered, her daughter raped and their home burnt down.
Through their swift action and intelligence gathering, the 10 Madodas managed to link two local men to the gruesome crime.
They camped overnight outside the house where the suspects were sleeping, before calling police to pounce on them.
The two perpetrators have since been sentenced to lengthy jail terms.
Just last month, the same community managed to track down and arrest two men suspected of being behind the rape and murder of a 21-year-old woman, who disappeared in the early hours of December 26.
Her mutilated body was found four days later stashed in an abandoned house.
A man in his 50s and a youth in his 20s have since been arrested and were in court this week facing rape and murder charges.
CPF member Nyaniso Sigom said crime had decreased drastically since they had mobilised their crime fighting unit.
Headman Mxolisi Solomon also echoed these views. However, he said there were “some elements in the community” who were against their crime fighting tactics.
The station commander at Keiskammahoek Police Station, Lieutenant-Colonel Ncebakazi Nika, appreciates the working relationship between the Gwiligwili community and police, saying many cases, ranging from murder to drug dealing, had been solved through their assistance.
“The group is very active and assist in giving police valuable information in solving most cases and in preventing crime.
“There is a good relationship between police and that community as they provide us with information daily. What they are doing is a good strategy and as a result there is a decrease in crime in that area,” Nika said. — asandan@dispatch.co.za
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