New Lusikisiki commander vows to pursue ‘vampire’ gang
Newly appointed Lusikisiki station commander Brigadier Wiseman Chiya has declared war on a “vampire” gang known as Amavondo, and on people who attack elderly women alleging they are witches.
Chiya, 52, spoke to the Daily Dispatch on Monday shortly after being appointed in an official ceremony at the police provincial headquarters in Zwelitsha.
He was one of five colonels promoted to brigadier and trusted with leading a war on crime at community level.
Chiya said his first order of business in the new job would be to set up a multidisciplinary structure consisting of sangomas, traditional healers, traditional leaders, chiefs and religious leaders.
“We will work closely together with the aim to root out all these witchcraft killings and Amavondo gangsters who allegedly kill people in order to drink their blood.”
Explaining his plan further, Chiya said: “Our national commissioner has implemented what is called traditional policing before traditional leaders were isolated in terms of policing. I want to go back and implement that strategy to make sure that everyone within my police precinct is catered for because Lusikisiki is much more rural,” he said.
“I want to put everyone on board and engage them on how we are going to deal with this matter. The Amavondo commit another type of evil crime.”
The KwaZul-Natal born Chiya started his career in the police service in 1990 as a constable.
He has 20 years experience as a station commander but Chiya will not have an easy task convincing the Lusikisiki public to work with the police.
The residents have told both former president Jacob Zuma and former police minister Fikile Mbalula that they have lost faith in the police and prefer taking the law into their own hands.
In March 2017, two men believed to be Amavondo members were found burnt beyond recognition near Ingwe TVET College.