WATCH | KZN premier Ntuli meets with KwaMashu hostel leaders over crime wave

Tighter security measures and removing informal shacks around the KwaMashu hostel are among the solutions offered by local leaders to KwaZulu-Natal premier and IFP provincial chair Thami Ntuli on Saturday to curb crime in the area.

The residents were speaking at a gathering convened by Ntuli in the wake of the crime wave gripping the hostel. Fatalities in the hostel have been linked to ongoing political killings and local community disputes, prompting the Ntuli’s imbizo.

Hostel leader Sthandiwe Mpanza said: “These informal settlements are the biggest cause of the crime at this hostel. Even when police wish to address the situation it becomes very difficult to do so.”

He said having lived in Gauteng, he had seen how some of the hostels were fenced off to counter security threats, while others use security to screen visitors.

“We need proper structures because there are people who now live with their families at these hostels. It’s for this reason that I wish there could be as school. We are raising children.”

The hostel is widely considered to be a stronghold an IFP stronghold.

Ntuli said the public need to work with the police to identify those who possess unlicensed firerms so that they could be arrested.

Ward councillor Mzwethu Gwala said when he became a councillor, he had received a strong support from the community.

“The crimes that takes place at the hostel are instigated by a few people who are in cahoots with some of the police. There are a lot of guns which are in the hands of people at the hostels,” said Gwala.

He alleged that some of the leaders are there to serve their self-interests.

“It’s survival of the fittest in that hostel. Anyone who owns a firearm is king. The reason why I come across as someone who is fearless is because I have a firearm — whoever attacks me would have met his match,” said Gwala.

He called on Ntuli to help deploy a police unit eradicated illegal firearms in the hostel. He said there was a shooting at the hostel on Friday which resulted in fatalities and injuries. He also reported political divisions and in-fighting.

“If I call a public meeting, some members of the community are threatened if they wish to attend.”

Tensions with foreign nationals at the hostels is another issue, he said.

He said his efforts to get national police deployed to the hostel have been unsuccessful as they instead brought traditional leaders and the leader of the Nazareth church, Mduduzi Nyazilwezulu Shembe, to speak to the community.

“You can bring in as many traditional healers as you please but if these people are going to address gun-wielding community members then nothing will work. We need the government to work here. There are hotspots of criminals here.”

The problem is clandestine meetings get called by some people. I am a neutral person but sometimes if I relay a message from a councillor, I get perceived as his supporter

—  Zamo Zuma, leader overseeing some of the blocks

Zamo Zuma, a leader overseeing some of the blocks, said some sections have become particularly dangerous, including uMbelebele section where some leaders have been killed.

“The problem is clandestine meetings get called by some people. I am a neutral person but sometimes if I relay a message from a councillor, I get perceived as his supporter,” said Zuma.

Ntuli should resolve the divisions, he said, adding some people deliberately boycott meetings. “If you don’t address it, then come next elections we would have seen more deaths.”

Zuma said in the past, hostels were home to the influx of male migrant workers, but this changed when women started moving in. “With those changes, families have flocked to the hostel. This should now be a place of peace and safety. We should preserve the history of the hostels.”

Ntuli came to the defence of the police, saying under the leadership of provincial commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi crime had declined. He noted the growing concerns about foreign nationals who had come to the hostel to set up spaza shops.

“I have some reports that those who have spaza shops also sell drugs. In the Western Cape townships are riddled with drug conflicts. There are always shootings,” he said.

Ntuli said he noted the feedback from the community leadership and would come up with measures aimed at ensuring the safety, stability and wellbeing of residents.

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