DELMAS – Brutal killings have recently become prevalent in Delmas while murderers easily get away with their cold-hearted deeds with no trace from the police leaving residents in fear and uncertainty.
From December 2019 there were claims of an apparent drug gang of ‘Zulus’ in cahoots versus the ‘Ndebeles’ gang in Delmas who were seemingly fighting for drug territories in Delmas town and Botleng location. Reliable sources reported that the ‘new gang’ that has entered the territory allegedly the ‘Zulus’ began manslaughter of the ‘Ndebele’ drug gang that has been occupying the space in a while. The allegations went uphill with social media users alleging that the murder of an unnamed young man, whose body was found under the bridge beside the railway line in October 2019 was due to drug-related killings.
Many other drug-related murders were reported while the murders did not end there, at the dawn of the new year, a middle-aged man was found murdered by a group of men allegedly drug dealers from Mandela in Delmas. The murderers also allegedly left the body of the man inside his car boot which was found by community members and the police. Another undisclosed source reported that the house in which the gang apparently murdered the man in, was burnt to ashes, “They did not want the police to find any evidence so they burnt it for that purpose”, said the source.
Senseless killings continued to shake the Delmas community late in February when a woman named Dorah Moamaledi was murdered by three suspects who left her body in an open field behind Botleng Extension 3 shopping complex. The following night the man named Kleinbooi Radebe was murdered near the same spot suspected by the police to be the same suspects. Police are still on the hunt for the suspects however this has left a bitter taste on the lips on residents who express safety concerns particularly with the police unable to capture the suspects.
Mpumalanga Provincial Commissioner Brigadier Leonard Hlathi said that SAPS has a Community Police Forum (CPF) in Ext 3 which falls under sector 4. “Resources will never be enough at all stations not only in Delmas, Mpumalanga or in the country, as well as manpower. However, the management is encouraging the stations to look after the few resources that are there and to use them with care,”, said Hlathi.
He further said that Botleng has been approved to have its own police station, however. it is not known when exactly the station will be built as this is a national competency. “I must also indicate the police appreciate community members who effectively engage in assisting police in the fight against crime.”, concluded Hlathi. It, however, remains to be seen how long this new station in Botleng will be built while residents are at the mercy of murderers.
Most social media users express a lack of confidence in CPFs including the police as they claim, “There is not enough police visibility in Delmas”.
Victor Khanye Mayor Vusi Buda said while it is the responsibility of the police to protect the community, he sent the VKLM Speaker Khaya Segone to give a message of support and listen to the outcry of the residents in Botleng days after the reported killings. Buda added, “As the municipality, we are heavily concerned about these killings and I encourage the public to work closely with the police to report any suspects”. The municipality also plans to have its own municipal police who can help with the fight of crime, however, due to lack of funds this is not possible immediately at this stage, according to Buda.
