The outpouring of public support and praise for KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lt-Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi after the killing by police of murder suspect Philangenkosi Makhanya this week speaks volumes about the levels of anger and desperation at South Africa’s grim crime rate. Society has become sick and tired of criminals inflicting pain and suffering on innocent people. And getting away with it all too often.
This past week, Olorato Mongale, a young woman with her whole life ahead of her, was senselessly murdered and dumped next to a road after having accepted the offer of a “date” from Makhanya. He died in a hail of gunshots fired by Mkhwanazi’s police when he was tracked down on Friday morning.
In the flat where he was killed, police found 20 cellphones and 18 ID cards — and they now suspect he was part of a gang that kidnapped and robbed women. Two suspects are still at large.
Mongale’s murder was a grotesque and tragic killing, made all the more senseless because Makhanya and a suspect who is still on the run, Bongani Mthimkhulu, were arrested the month before. They appeared in an East Rand magistrate’s court on charges of kidnapping and robbery. Incredibly, they were granted bail apparently on the strength of having fixed addresses, but — in a country that claims to prioritise cases of gender-based violence — their bail was not opposed and they were freed.
In Senzo Mchunu South Africa at last appears to have a police minister who is both capable and determined to take the fight against crime to the criminals
It appears the suspects preyed on women at shopping malls, just as Mongale first encountered Makhanya at a mall in Bloemfontein. When she went on her fateful first date with him, she had told a friend she would send her a pin drop to indicate she was fine. This illustrates that even though Mongale — a master’s student at Wits University — was an educated and sophisticated woman, and took safety precautions, she too fell for the killers’ trickery and deception.
According to police, Makhanya and his fellow suspects were part of a syndicate that targeted women for a living. It’s a pity they weren’t stopped in their tracks earlier, as could have been the case when they initially appeared in court.
But congratulations are due to the police for cracking the case as quickly as they did. A pity, though, that it was an exception — according to experts, 5% of reported rape and gender-based violence cases lead to convictions, a figure made all the more shocking by the fact that only an estimated one in nine rape cases is actually reported to police.
In Senzo Mchunu South Africa at last appears to have a police minister who is both capable and determined to take the fight against crime to the criminals. We can only but echo his heartfelt plea to the men of South Africa this week, when he said: “To all men, this is a plea, simple, urgent and human: please stop killing women.”
It is encouraging that Mchunu’s forces appear to be making a dent in the violent crime wave to which we are all subjected. In certain cases, working alongside private sector agencies, police have made noteworthy breakthroughs. Last week we reported on the crime of kidnapping for ransom, which has spiked in recent months. Together with a private sector anti-crime agency, a small yet effective force is making headway.
This model of public-private co-operation needs to be replicated across the board.
In the life-valuing society that we aspire to be, Mongale’s murder has again highlighted the challenges we face as a country. The police are at the forefront of the fight against merciless criminals, but they need our backing as a society and the support to do even more.
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