A lack of police stations, a proliferation of guns, and revenge killings among criminals have led to a spiralling increase in cases of murder and attempted murder in Umlazi, south of Durban.
That’s the view of residents, crime experts and the community policing forum after two mass shootings claimed the lives of 11 people, including a 14-year-old boy, between last Sunday and Tuesday. The teen was among six people shot and killed in the Zamani informal settlement when a group of gunmen opened fire inside a block of flats.
Two days later, on Tuesday, three gunmen stormed a house in another part of the settlement, shooting dead five people. Three others were wounded. Family members have refused to speak to the media.
The shootings prompted a visit on Thursday by police minister Bheki Cele, who was taken to the sites of both shootings. His visit came two weeks after police crime statistics showed that between April and June 2021 there were 73 murders in Umlazi, a 135.5% increase on the same period last year.
Professor Nzimande of the community policing forum in Umlazi said the shortage of police stations in the township contributed to the rise in crime. “Since 2014 we have been pleading with police to at least give us mobile police stations for these areas. Our calls have been ignored.
“We used to wait more than five hours for a police van to come and arrest a criminal once we caught them in the township,” said Nzimande. His sentiment was echoed by residents who told the Sunday Times that the sound of gunfire was common in the township.
Weleh Mzwabantu, who lives in the Zamani settlement, said there had been an increase in gun violence and robberies in the area. This happened after the riots and looting in parts of KwaZulu-Natal two months ago. “Following the looting and unrest in July, we have not been able to get proper sleep. Guns have been going off every night in the area. It means that they [criminals] were able to get some guns and ammunition from somewhere because to this day we cannot sleep at night.
“The mobile police station nearby is basically out of service. Sometimes you walk into the station and there is nobody there. Sometimes you find the officers drunk. That is why we are pleading with government to provide us with a functioning police station. We are in trouble,” said Mzwabantu.
We used to wait more than five hours for a police van to come and arrest a criminal once we caught them in the township
— Prof Nzimande
Cele said some of the victims of the recent mass killings had extensive criminal records and that drug turf wars and retaliation were among the suspected motives for the shootings.
He acknowledged that a lack of police stations had been the residents’ main concern. He said his department would discuss how to address this with the provincial leadership and ward councillors.
Violence monitor Mary de Haas said almost every area in the country had drug lords who would occasionally get involved in deadly territory wars. The problem started when people with illegal firearms roamed the streets of these areas, she said.
“The rise in gangsterism and crime in Umlazi dates back to the 1970s when criminals only had knives and hackers to use against people. Now they use lethal weapons. Instead of knifing your opponent to death, now you’re able to just open fire and kill multiple people at once.”
She said the rise in illegal firearms in the area was alarming and that police stations needed to improve security intelligence.
“The short-term solution is for police stations to jack up their intelligence operations, ensure that all their gear, weapons and ammunition are properly locked away in a safe or strongroom. The other option is sporadic checks at roadblocks and proactive policing, searching the guards at taxi ranks to see if their weapons are legal and licensed.”
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