KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Transport, Community Safety and Liaison, Mr Willies Mchunu strongly condemns the despicable action taken by Umlazi community (L section) for beating and brutally killing Mthofi Ngcobo (25) this past weekend.
The community alleges that Ngcobo has been involved in the series of crime activities in the area with his gang without being apprehended and articulate that they are fed up with the criminals wandering in streets with no fear.
It is to be remembered that MEC Mchunu visited Umlazi L section in November 2009 with the aim of engaging the community against the formulation of vigilante groups and taking law into their own hands. The community members promised that they will compile and handover the list of criminals to him. Mchunu then dispatched a highly trained team of police officers (technical response team) to Umlazi.
"I am appalled by this behaviour taken by the Umlazi community because I urged them to compile a list of criminals but till today that list was not handed to me or cluster commander of the area," said Mchunu.
Mchunu referred to the matter as a very disturbing matter because that section has got in place the law permitting structure, community policing forum that they should be operating within. Also the technical response team is fully operational with the 28 members. He urged the community to be patient and work with the police.
Nobody has been arrested; police are still investigating the matter and have vowed that community members who were involved in the killing of Ngcobo will be charged with murder because at this stage there was no evidence that he was involved in the criminal activities mentioned.
Contact:
Lungile Ndlovu
Cell: 082 889 6629
Issued by: Department of Transport, KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government
15 April 2010
Source: Department of Transport, KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government (http://www.kzntransport.gov.za/)
