Violence in Eshowe after death

The killing of a community member earlier this week yesterday led to several sugar cane plantations and a house being torched in Eshowe, KwaZulu-Natal.

National Police Commissioner General Khehla Sithole made an urgent call for calm yesterday, urging residents to refrain from taking the law into their own hands or destroying property.

According to a police statement, two men caught fishing in a dam on Gqobhokani farm on Tuesday were confronted by a security guard. An altercation ensued, leading to the guard fatally shooting one of the men, 30-yearold Spamandla Xulu. His companion escaped unharmed. The guard has been arrested and is expected to appear in court soon on a charge of murder.

But the community took to the streets on Wednesday and yesterday torched the farmhouse, one of the farm owner’s plantations and two neighbouring plantations. Members of the Public Order Policing Unit, Tactical Response Teams and local police have been deployed to the area to quell the violence. Sithole said: “Destroying property is no solution, but it is a crime punishable by law. It neither helps nor corrects a situation.” – Citizen reporter

National Police Commissioner General Khehla Sithole issues an urgent call for calm, urging residents to refrain from taking the law into their own hands, or destroying property.