Police blamed
for late response to Inchanga killing
26
August 2016, 8:13pm
Giordano
Stolley
22/08/2016 MEC of Community Safety and Liaison Xolisi Kaundu look at the
houses that were burned at Ward 4 Harari, Inchanga, where roads are barricaded
and residents threaten to take the law into their hands after two people were
killed over the weekend. Police fired rubber bullets to yesterday to disperse
residents who had rendered the area inaccessible. Picture: Motshwari Mofokeng
Durban - The police have been lambasted on Friday, for their
slow reaction to the events that unfolded in Inchanga and led to the slaying of
an African National Congress member.
The party's regional secretary Bheki Ntuli, speaking on Friday
at a memorial service for Xolani Ngcobo who was killed in protests following
the execution-style shooting of an SA Communist Party member, said that he
would be approaching the province's Safety and Security MEC Mxolisi Kaunda to
have the police officers at the Inchanga police station replaced.
Asked afterwards why he wanted the officers removed, he said:
“The response from the SAPS is not convincing. They are supposed to be here as
early as possible when the incident took place.”
“But they took far too long a time to come. And then when they
were here, they didn't help in any way to assist the family. And the people
that were suspected were still around, but the police didn't do anything to
ensure that the culprits are arrested.”
About 300 African National Congress supporters packed out the
Michael Gwala Hall in Inchanga amid a heavy police presence for the memorial
service.
Several speakers addressed the crowd, including Ntuli, with the
recurrent theme being that unity was needed in Ward 4. There was a heavy presence
of eThekwini Metro Police and units from SA Police Service.
The ward has been divided between members of the ANC and South
African Communist Party (SACP) ever since the nomination for candidates to
stand in the local government elections started last year. Earlier this year
two people, including Philip Dlamini, were killed in the dispute.
Since then tensions have been high despite the visits of several
high ranking SACP and ANC members to the area who have tried to heal the rift.
SACP members claim they were blocked from participating in the branch
nominations.
In the August 3, local government elections Petrus Nxumalo, an
SACP member, stood as an independent and won the ward. Last Sunday evening,
SACP member Nontsikelelo Blose, a witness to Dlamini's killing in January, was
shot dead outside a Fredville tavern. The resulted in the rampage with several
houses being torched and Ngcobo being killed on Monday. Blose's funeral is set
to take place on Sunday.
African News Agency
