Mamelodi gang wars | Residents speak of fear and terror

On Monday, SowetanLIVE reported on the rising death toll from what appears to be a gang war between rival criminal groups in Mamelodi, east of Pretoria. 

Since then, more residents have told how they live in fear as organised hits which claimed at least nine lives since August, show no signs of a ceasefire. Police seemingly have no urgent plan to arrest the deadly crisis that has gripped the nation’s capital. 

This is what residents said: 

Ndabazabo Ntuli

The girlfriend of one of the victims of the gang warfare that has gripped Mamelodi has claimed that the man who was shot at least 40 times was not a member of the notorious Boko Haram criminal gang.

Ntuli, 36, told Sowetan the father of her two children — 38-year-old Solomon Ntuli — who was shot on October 10 at her home by four armed men was friends with people linked to Boko Haram.

The unmarried couple shared a surname and Solomon, who was commonly known as “Dladlams”, owned two taxis.

“He was not a member of Boko Haram. He didn't even know he had enemies and he was not even living in fear,” Ndabazabo said.

She said she felt unsafe as she didn't know who was behind the shooting which happened inside her home in the township.

“If they can follow him at my home, so they could also go for me if they want to so I don't feel safe anymore,” Ndabazabo said.

She said Solomon was not involved in projects and did not even own a company so he couldn't be involved in disputes involving projects.

“He didn't have a truck, my person (meaning lover) didn't even have an ID, he was still trying to sort that out so I don't understand why would someone want him dead. He was shot with 40 bullets.”

However, another local from the area claimed Solomon was on the forefront of the hijacking of municipal flats by Boko Haram at the Mamelodi Heights hostel.

Ndabazabo said life was now very difficult as she relied on Solomon for everything.

“I can't do anything now; who's going to get us food? There's no food in the house and rent is also due, I don't even have money for rent.”

Pastor Thembelani Jentile of the Mamelodi Baptist Church

Jentile said life has drastically changed in the township ever since the killings started and felt “it's shocking” that President Cyril Ramaphosa has not said anything about it.

“Is it because these are the lives of young black men being lost that nobody says anything? It can't be normal that people are dying like this but nobody seems to be doing anything,” said Jentile.

He said he believes that because the people dying or killing each other were black people hence there's no decisive intervention by either government or law enforcement agencies.

“Maybe that's why everyone is quiet, imagine if people who were dying were white people, I think soldiers would have been sent her by now. It's all because black lives are cheap,” Jentile said.

He said it seemed the community of Mamelodi has been left in the lurch with government and police failing to decisively intervene.

“Where are the police? Nobody is briefing or addressing the community about what's going on. There's been no authority addressing us, people are just campaigning while kids are dying.”

Jentile said it was bizarre and disappointing that life in Mamelodi has been allowed to continue amid so much bloodshed as if these killings were normal.

He said the people of Mamelodi are now forced to live a normal life in a place where guns could go off any time while not even knowing what's being done to attempt stop the killings.

“Nobody is talking to the community and people who are living around these guns on a daily basis. You cannot have so many people dying but the country is quiet,” Jentile said.

The pastor said he was trying to “create a safe space where we disarm those kids that want to repent and leave this life” of gangs.

“I'm trying to do something that can assist these boys (in gangs) where we can take them for rehabilitation because they're very young,” Jentile said.

He said if something is not done, the killings in Mamelodi were most likely to continue until a new kingpin emerged.

Jentile said the killings began way before the August 29 shootings at a popular night spot in the township Santorini where two Boko Haram members were shot dead.

“In these three months, even before the Santorini incident, there were four incidents in Mamelodi West alone,” Jentile said.

“The community is very traumatised, although there's some people who are happy for obvious reasons, as the Boko Haram has terrorised the community, but when you are a pastor you are caught in between as these are people's kids and their parents are members in our churches.”

Abram Mashishi, Sanco chairperson in Tshwane

Mashishi said it was shocking that these killings in Mamelodi have been allowed to continue for this long with law enforcement agencies failing to stamp their authority.

“The killings are very shocking but at the same time people of Mamelodi are very happy about it because they think they can have a space to breathe,” Mashishi said.

He said they are appealing to the police minister to deliver on the promises he made to the residents about police making progress in their investigations during a recent street imbizo he hosted.

He said the killings have exposed the country's law enforcement agencies as being very weak with poor intelligence capabilities.

“These killings had already begun five years ago, and now they have got worse and we don't know where must we run to for us to be safe,” Mashishi said.

He said it made sense to their organisation that most people in Mamelodi have lost trust in police and many have opted not to assist police.

Anonymous man 1

A Mamelodi man who asked not to be named spoke about how since the killings started around August he has not been able to take his car to his favourite car wash outlet in Mamelodi West.

“We are so scared and every time you are out there you can't stop thinking about the killings,” he said.

“One of the incidents happened on the main road... when you are on the road and a vehicle near yours gets shot at. It's now dangerous to just even leave your house,” the man said.

The man said everyone in the township knows that there's a conflict between the Bafarasai and Boko Haram who are fighting to control infrastructure projects in the township.

“Some projects have even stopped because of the squabbles by these gangs,” the man said.

The man insisted that his name and where he lives not to be mentioned in the article as the people involved in the killings were brutal.

Anonymous man 2

It took Sowetan about five minutes to convince the man from Mamelodi West, the stronghold of the Boko Haram, to speak about what has been happening in his community.

After confirming that he was indeed speaking to Sowetan, he insisted that nothing about him be mentioned not even his age.

He also pleaded with a Sowetan journalist to watch his back because he was writing about people who wouldn't think twice before pulling a trigger.

“Lomsebenzi wakho uyingozi kakhulu mfethu ngicela uzinanekele, akukho safe lana (the work you are doing is very dangerous, please look after yourself, it's very dangerous out here)," the man said.

The man said he knew people who witnessed some of the recent killing not even bothering to report at their police station what they have seen.

“We don't trust anyone here, hence I don't really even trust you because we don't even trust the police who are supposed to protect us,” the man said.

He said it was a normal activity for projects to be stopped because Boko Haram would demand to be involved in the project.

“For the project to continue, the person handling the project has to subcontract some of the work to them and that's only when the project can continue,” the man said.

He said even though he was happy that the gangs were taking each other out he was worried that the community is now also living in fear because the shootings happen regularly and in public places.

Local politician and community leader

The man flatly refused to speak to Sowetan about any issue that has to do with Boko Haram, Bafarasai and the recent killings in Mamelodi where he's considered one of the community leaders.

Even when Sowetan offered to withhold his identity, the man who is known in the community, refused to budge citing safety concerns.

Despite several attempts and even when asked to at least help corroborate and verify some of the details that Sowetan had independently established about some of the shooting incidents, the man steadfastly refused to talk.

Dr Meshack Mariri,

A religious leader in the Anglican Church of SA based in Pretoria said the Boko Haram conflicts reflected a sad state of affairs as a reflection of SA’s communities.  

“The problem with what is happening in Mamelodi is that these acts are committed by people who are known to their communities. It's not strangers. We need to go back to a position where our neighbours can reprimand our children if they are out of line,” he said. 

Struggle stalwart and theologian Father Smangaliso Mkhatshwa

 He said the situation in Mamelodi is a result of the evaporation of ubuntu. 

“There is a lack of social cohesion that is driven by forces such as corruption and the desire to steal resources intended for those who need them the most. If we were to go back and look at the principle of ubuntu, respect is something that is imperative...,” said Mkhatshwa.