NATIONAL NEWS - KwaDukuza Mayor Lindile Nhaca has vowed to work with law enforcement authorities to intensify action against the scourge of violent killings in Driefontein, Ward 21, near Tongaat.
This follows the recent brutal killings of at least five residents, which Nhaca described as senseless during the “Prayer Against Violence” event held at the Driefontein Community Hall on Saturday.
We are both disturbed and deeply concerned about the recent senseless killings which took away the lives of at least five people, including a woman who was allegedly stabbed to death. What concerns us the most is that these criminals are still at large. Nhaca is committed to collaborating with various stakeholders to urgently address criminality in the area.
One of the primary interventions that we will be undertaking in partnership with the police and the Department of Community Safety and Liaison will be to ensure that we launch a functional community policing forum that will play an oversight role in monitoring crime trends and hotspots within the area.
She said she they also noted that the Driefontein area is about 17 km from the Umhlali Police Station, “which then renders police responses to crime scenes inefficient [thereby] making it difficult to combat criminals”.
I will be instituting a special request with the provincial police commissioner in a bid to solicit a satellite station in Driefontein … to address the response time for the Umhlali Police Station to report to crime scenes.
She said reports indicated that there were several illicit taverns operating in the area, which overwhelmingly contribute to the escalation of violence.
I will mobilise the Umhlali SAPS together with KwaDukuza Crime Prevention to patrol regularly as part of ensuring police visibility; this will be coupled with the launch of local street committees so that every community member can have a role to play in combating crime in the area.
Nhaca said they would also work to ensure that all law enforcement resources are organised and agencies are duly deployed to safeguard the community.
“We also take note of the strong allegations of drug use and dealings that are associated with the recent killings. I will be reporting this information to the relevant stakeholders. We remain confident and more determined that the fight against criminality will end given our collective efforts and commitments from various stakeholders …” said Nhaca.
