Twelve nabbed in vigilante activity
Woman shot dead over RDPs dispute
Twelve people have been arrested in connection with the recent vigilante acts in Alexandra, Johannesburg, where dozens of people had been kicked out of their RDP homes since last year. This comes after a wife of a community leader was shot dead on Friday, allegedly by a group of people who wanted revenge for illegal evictions. Sowetan has learnt that a group of people came shouting the name “Madala” at a house in Extension 10 on Friday evening.
The door was allegedly answered by the victim, a 40year-old woman who was shot at and died at a local clinic. One of the people said to be arrested was one of the leaders of vigilante group known as the Bonafide Organisation. Last month, Sowetan visited one of the group’s leaders after he had claimed a house for himself.
They had kicked out a foreign national from the house. Fhatuwani Maguvhe, 37, who is a tenant on the premises, said the suspect was identified by the community at a meeting with the police on Sunday after the shooting of the female victim.
“He thought the meeting on Sunday was for the vigilantes but it was actually for the rest of the community and the police about the terror their group is [spreading],” Maguvhe said.
“People picked him out of the crowd and put a tyre on him and threatened to burn him alive.”
Maguvhe said the alleged
vigilante was marched to the house where the community damaged his furniture and dumped his food. “People are still going to die with the way this situation is going. It needs to be controlled.”
SAPS spokesperson Capt Stephen Malatji confirmed that 12 people were arrested. He, however, said it was too
soon to confirmif thewoman’s death was connected to the housing turmoil. Gauteng human settlements MEC, Uhuru Moiloa, yesterday paid condolences to the family of the person who was killed on Friday.
Moiloa said people who occupy the houses illegally must be reported so that action should be taken against them.