Community members seek to take a stand against illegal activities

A COMMUNITY meeting took place at the Galeshewe Circle on Wednesday afternoon, following the alleged assault of two Nigerians, who were accused of selling drugs, by members of a community crime-fighting organisation.

The house of an Operation Wanya Tsotsi (OWT) member was apparently vandalised in an “act of revenge” by Nigerian nationals on Tuesday night.

Tyres were burned and the police arrived to monitor the situation on Wednesday.

A number of the Galeshewe community members who were present at the meeting pledged to “clean their streets” of drugs and illegal activities.

One of the victims of the alleged assault was admitted to the Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe Hospital intensive care unit.

Meanwhile, the occupants of the Galeshewe house, including children, reportedly had to undergo trauma counselling following Tuesday night’s incident, while fellow OWT members are now guarding the house on a daily basis.

The Galeshewe police confirmed that a case of malicious damage to property was opened on Tuesday.

Police spokesperson Sergeant Timothy Sam said that two foreign nationals were arrested on Tuesday night.

It is believed that the suspects were arrested after fleeing from OWT members on Tuesday night after allegedly vandalising the house.

Wednesday afternoon’s meeting was called to “map the way forward”.

The meeting, however, dispersed without any solid decisions taken after tempers started to flare.

The community ended up being divided, as some were “baying for the blood” of the Nigerian nationals, while others felt that the law should be allowed to take its course.

Several calls were made for the community to take the law into their own hands and “deal with” the Nigerians.

It is alleged that a group of community members, who apparently left the meeting out of frustration, continued on to another Nigerian national's home and assaulted him.

Meanwhile, the chairperson of the Police Community Forum said that the Nigerian Union engaged with the Galeshewe police on Wednesday.