The provincial police say they have established a team to assist in resolving criminal cases in this community. Some frustrated members of the public protested and blockaded the road to Mbombela Stadium on Monday March 7.

They demanded that the City of Mbombela (CoM) and SAPS intervene in this area, as they feel crime is on the rise. Members of the community said the City and police need to help them fight crime so that they can have a peaceful community. According to them, criminals are selling land illegally and killing people. They allege that when they go to open cases at the police station, they do not receive any assistance.

On Monday March 7, a provincial police spokesperson, Brig Selvy Mohlala, said, “We are in discussions with the leaders of the community. We have agreed that they submit all of their registered cases so that we can tackle them head-on. We have received the list of cases. A team of seasoned detectives has been established to assist in resolving them.”

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A community member, Wisani Mabuza, said he was almost killed on Sunday by unknown people. “They came to my home and opened fire on everything. My family, including children, reside in my house. This is not right. We have approached the police several times, informing them about the danger we are exposed to.” Ben Mabunda, the chairperson of the Mataffin Community Development Trust, said, “We managed to reach an agreement with the police only after their seniors came and had a meeting with us.”

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The spokesperson for the CoM, Joseph Ngala, said, “Selling land illegally is a criminal matter. Aggrieved people must approach the courts for that. The blockading of roads becomes a public order police matter, not the municipality’s.”