Police Minister Bheki Cele. Photo: Elmond Jiyane/GCIS.
PIETERMARITZBURG - Pietermaritzburg families who buried their loved ones who were burned alive at an alleged drug den in Taylor’s Halt two weeks ago, have lost faith in the police. They claim no progress has been made in arresting the killers.
The families complained police have not contacted them since the night of the incident and knowing that the perpetrators were roaming free, brought immeasurable pain.
They want the Minister of Police, Bheki Cele, to assist them.
However, thousands of South Africans have signed a petition wanting Minister of Police Bheki Cele to vacate his post for “incompetence, lack of executive accountability and continued mismanagement of police needs”.
On the night of the murders, 15 men were allegedly inside the house when seven armed suspects stormed in, demanding to see the owner. Upon discovering that the owner was not available, the suspects allegedly instructed the men to undress before pouring liquid substances on them and setting them alight. Eight men died at the scene while the others succumbed to their injuries later in hospital.
Balindile Zondi told the Sunday Tribune that her son, Zuzani, 27, suffered severe burns to the face and that she was only able to identify him by his socks and feet. Balindile said one of her son’s arms was lifted up as though he had been trying to protect himself. Zuzani was buried last Sunday.
“Police have not visited my house, no one has come to ask me about my son. They have been quiet and it hurts, we are heartbroken and confused. My son did nothing wrong and he was killed like that. I have no faith in police solving this case,” she said.
Gogo MaGoba, said her nephew, Thobelani Goba, 23, had arrived to visit her a week prior to the incident. She said he usually visited the house to smoke and his death had traumatised her family. Thobelani was also buried last Sunday.
“We are deeply saddened and we can’t accept what has happened, worse, the police have not helped us. When we found him, he only had burns to his knees and stomach. Only the Lord knows what really happened. We want police to arrest the perpetrators, I want to look them in the face but we are not confident of that happening,”she said.
Cele, who the families were pinning their hopes on to intervene so the killers get arrested, was last week accused of allowing two senior police officials to be removed from their posts for failing to arrange pork chops for his lunch at a halaal-friendly police academy.
A training commander and a support services manager allegedly refused to comply with the chops order resulting in them being transferred elsewhere. Although it was National Police Commissioner, Fannie Masemola, who sent the officials packing, it remains unclear whether he was acting under the instruction of the Minister.
SAPS national spokesperson, Brigadier Athlenda Mathe, said the police do not discuss internal matters which include the transfer or redeployment of members.
Following the chops incident, a petition started by Ashay Mohan gained thousands of new signatures from South Africans who wanted Cele to resign.
Lee-Anne Germanos, senior campaigner at Change.org said although the petition started a few months ago, it resurfaced in popularity every now and again when Cele was making the headlines for the wrong reasons.
Lirandzu Themba, spokesperson for the Minister of Police said Cele would continue serving despite the dissatisfaction voiced out by South Africans.
“Minister Cele is on record to say he is deployed by the President and serves at his behest in his Cabinet, It is the President that can make that call,” she said.
KZN police said the mass murders were under investigation.
SUNDAY TRIBUNE