Gang violence sparks outrage in Waterval Boven
The brutal murder at the hands of a gang sparked violent protests in this small town on Monday.
WATERVAL BOVEN – The group, known only as the Skwabula gang, has allegedly been terrorising the streets. Thursday the roads in the township just outside town were still closed and police were still on standby.
The gang, reportedly led by Cllr Themba Masha, allegedly assaulted and kidnapped community member Joe Mlangeni on Sunday. His death was confirmed in the early morning hours on Tuesday.
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“For three days he was mutilated with axes and pangas. He was cut on the head and on his arms and hands as he tried to defend himself,”
Mlangeni’s brother, Sipho Ngobeni, told Lowvelder.
He alleged that the councillor took his brother away from his house after a squabble during work-related protests last week. Ngobeni was heartbroken by the loss and through tears he told the newspaper, “It is difficult for us”.
On Wednesday protesters tried to disturb the peace at the local TVET college and during the protests the iconic Waterval Boven tunnel was damaged after they set a truck alight inside it.
Although the violent protests have stopped, members of the community are still not happy about what happened. Col Mtsholi Bhembe, police spokesman, said the only way this intergroup violence will come to an end, is if all the role players, including the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, comes to the table to discuss these matters.
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According to him, no arrests have been made following the public violence or Mlangeni’s death. Lowvelder approached Masha for comment on the allegations. He said he was not available for any comment regarding the matter until he had “a mandate from his lawyer”.
