Durban - Sipho Khumalo's* amputated feet and missing left eye tell a story of an attack that changed his life forever.
From the scars on his face, it is clear that his attackers were going for the kill. The KwaMashu resident, north of Durban, told SAnews that the incident happened some seven years ago.
“I happened to be in the room when they came for my friend, who was a community activist during the allocation of housing at the time. They just burst into the room and attacked us,” said Khumalo.
Khumalo relived his story during a government visit, led by Police Minister Nathi Nhleko and Justice and Correctional Services Minister Michael Masutha, on Tuesday, held under the theme ‘Taking Government to the People’.
“No arrests were ever made although everyone in the area knew the attackers,” he said, checking the coast to see if any community members were listening to our conversation.
“I do not want to be seen talking to people from outside the area, especially in this volatile climate,” he said, referring to Sunday’s shooting of four men at Block 192.
It is understood that a group of approximately six people entered the block, forced the victims to lie on the ground and executed them. The motive isn’t clear, as the killers took nothing from the room.
A special provincial task team has been set up to investigate the killings while police say they are following positive leads.
“Such incidents are common around here. You can just hear ‘bang bang!’ out of the blue. It’s how things have always been for as long as I can remember.”
Khumalo says even though some criminals are arrested, the justice system is slow to prosecute the criminals.
Once known for notoriously high murder rates, KwaMashu has been a hotspot for political violence and crime since the early 1990s. Most sections of the township have been stabilised but the men’s hostel is still considered a high risk by the police due to killings in the area.