Concern over vigilantism has been raised after recent shootings in Amaoti, Inanda. File Picture: Independent Newspapers Archives
Image: Independent Newspapers Archives
KwaZulu-Natal police boss Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi has blamed the latest wave of killings in Amaoti on residents taking the law into their own hands.
Provincial police commissioner Lieutenant-General Mkwanazi’s remarks come after six people were murdered between Sunday and Monday.
“What transpired yesterday (Monday) was a result of what happened on Saturday evening,” Mkhwanazi said.
“Around 10 o’clock at night, there was a shooting incident in one of the homesteads where three men were killed – a 54-year-old, a 31-year-old, and a 27-year-old. Two females in the room were injured.”
The attack sparked anger among residents, leading to a community-led manhunt for the suspects.
“The community felt compelled to hunt for the perpetrators themselves. This is common in an area where the unemployment rate is very high. People accuse someone they feel might be a criminal and suspect he is responsible.”
By Monday morning, community leaders had organised a mass meeting at a stadium.
“While the meeting was in progress, shots rang out on a nearby road. People were shot, and whoever shot them got mixed into the crowd. When gunshots go off, people scatter, and in that chaos, the shooter disappeared,” Mkhwanazi said.
Despite police being present at the stadium, officers were unable to react in time.
“By the time you try to shoot this one who’s running, you might miss and shoot an innocent person,” he said.
Mkhwanazi said the community later admitted to killing the men in what appeared to be an act of mob justice.
“They started making noise because they thought the same people who shot on Saturday had come back to shoot again. But after a while, as they talked to each other, they realised that actually, the people shot might have been shot by community members as revenge.”
Despite the threats CPF members face, the Inanda Community Policing Forum (CPF) chairperson Mbongeni Phewa dismissed any notion of stepping back. “We will proceed with our duties.”
While he rejected vigilantism, he said he could not state that it would not occur as the community is fed up.
Mbali Frazer, chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Community Safety and Liaison, called for immediate action from authorities. She linked the violence to gangsterism, drug trafficking, and a lack of opportunities for the youth.
The ANC in KZN called for urgent intervention to protect community members fighting crime. “Such acts of violence undermine the efforts of communities striving for safety and security,” said provincial task team co-ordinator Mike Mabuyakhulu.