A 38-year-old man was shot and killed at uMlazi’s notorious Glebelands Hostel on Tuesday night, bringing the death toll linked to hitmen at the sprawling complex to 93.
“It is alleged that the man was at Glebelands Hostel yesterday at 21:00 when he was allegedly shot and killed by unknown suspects,” said KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson, lieutenant colonel Thulani Zwane.
The lieutenant said a case of murder was opened at uMlazi police station and the motive for the killing was unknown at this stage. Investigations were underway.
“We appeal to the residence to work together with the police in fighting crime at the hostel and report any criminal activities to the police. Our police officers are working day and night doing patrols in the area and there is a satellite police station that can be used by the residents,” Zwane said.
During its July sitting, the Moerane Commission inquiry which is investigating political violence in KwaZulu-Natal it heard allegations from community activist Vanessa Burger that the hostel was a base for hitmen that operated throughout the province, sometimes under police direction. Other witnesses corroborated her testimony.
Tuesday night’s murder brought the total number of deaths linked to the hostel to 93 since 2014, Burger said via email on Wednesday.
In early August, the Portfolio Committee on Police visited the crime-riddled hostel as part of a weeklong tour of the province to assess the state of policing. A woman was shot and killed at the hostel the night before the visit.
During a briefing at uMlazi police station, the committee heard that there had been 12 murders inside the complex this year, 12 attempted murders and five acts of intimidation.
The Moerane Commission is sitting in Mayville, Durban. On Monday, it is scheduled to hear testimony from police watchdog, the Independent Police Investigating Directorate (IPID).
Just last week, IPID’s deputy director of ethics management, Amar Maharaj, told the commission that IPID was dysfunctional; police officers were pushing through cases without proper investigation in order to make targets, he said.
IPID dismissed Maharaj’s testimony as being “laced with inaccuracies” and also accused him of misrepresenting his position in the organisation.
– African News Agency (ANA)
