Mpumalanga Premier visits Mkhuhlu following escalating gun murders
The Premier, accompanied by the MEC for community safety, security and liaison, the acting provincial police commissioner, and the executive mayor of the Bushbuckridge Local Municipality, visited the notorious Mkhuhlu township.
Mpumalanga Premier Mandla Ndlovu says a potential suspect in the ongoing gun-related killings in Mkhuhlu and its surrounding areas has been identified.
Ndlovu was accompanied by the Mpumalanga MEC for community safety, security and liaison, Jackie Macie, the acting provincial police commissioner, Major General Dr Zeph Mkhwanazi, and the executive mayor of the Bushbuckridge Local Municipality, Lydea Moroane, when he visited Calcutta Police Station on July 13.
The visit follows a shooting incident in Mkhuhlu’s Crossroads Section on Sunday, July 12, at about 20:40, in which four people were killed.
A fifth victim sustained critical injuries and was taken to hospital where he was admitted in the intensive care unit (ICU).
Read: Police hunt suspects after yet another deadly Calcutta shooting
“There is a main culprit that we believe if he can be arrested, we can have a solution to all these problems that are taking place here in Mkhuhlu and Mariti, along this belt. I’m very happy with the briefing that I was given by the acting provincial commissioner. There are police members who still respect the badge and not working with criminals,” said Ndlovu.
“We are not going to hand over the government to the criminals. We shall not allow these areas to be the nest for criminals, we are ready and we have given the acting provincial commissioner four days to report back the developments,” added Ndlovu.
Also read: Gun violence scourges as four are gunned down in Mkhuhlu
He announced that he had been in talks with the acting National Police Commissioner, Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane, to deploy national intervention police units to the Mkhuhlu area.
Ndlovu confirmed that the number of people who were gunned down in the area since the beginning of the year were 37 and asked members of the community to give information to the police.
Meanwhile, in an earlier media briefing led by Mkhwanazi at the Mpumalanga police headquarters along Mbombela’s Ferreira Street, an announcement was made that more members of the police were deployed to Mkhuhlu on July 12.
Mkhwanazi asked anyone with information in the investigations to call the Crime Stop number 08600 10111, the nearest police station or send information via the My SAPS App.
