Nyanga community tells Cele: Seven Angels’ church must go
Stronger police presence at site
POLICE Minister Bheki Cele on Saturday told the Ngcobo community that official and legal processes to authorise demolition of the Mancoba Seven Angels Ministries Church structures were already under way.
Cele’s visit was part of a follow-up with a community traumatised by a massacre at their police station in February, when five police officers and a former soldier were gunned down.
Seven people believed to have been involved in the massacre were killed a day and a half later by police inside the Seven Angel’s Ministries compound in Nyanga village, which they had used as a hideout.
Before Cele’s address to the community at Nyanga High School, the Daily Dispatch spoke to residents, concerned over when the church structures would be demolished.
Resident Happy Lwana believed the pain and grief experienced by families of victims would be eased by the demolition.
“It’s a cruel reminder for us as residents, how much more so for the families of those who died? The community of Ngcobo and our town is now known for bad things. We need to change that,” said Lwana.
Cele said authorities were waiting for a petition from the community. “We will then take the petition to the relevant structures, like the municipality and the chiefs, so definitely in the not so distant future those structures that were harbouring the people who were out of order there, who call themselves angels, will be demolished.”
Transport, safety and liaison Weziwe Tikana added that the department was waiting for a court order to effect the demolition.
Cele visited the Mancoba household and met with Nombongo Mancoba, mother of some of the alleged perpetrators, who told him she missed her “angels” as she called her sons.
“You know some stories can be scary and after hearing about the tragic events that unfolded here I was actually almost scared to meet the mother, but you know I just see an ordinary woman who has also been shattered by the tragedy.
“She is in pain at the loss of her children and in pain about her arrested sons, but she also feels pain about the police officers and soldier who died,” said Cele.
He said plans to reinforce police stations were under way and CCTV cameras would be installed at the station within a month.
Provincial Police Commissioner Lieutenant-General Liziwe Ntshinga said 12 police officers, a mobile station and two vehicles would be deployed to Ngcobo. —