‘Please fence us in’

i-Nduna Buthelezi and his three-man committee are calling on the municipality to erect a perimeter wall or fence around the hostel for the safety of the residents living inside.

i-Nduna Buthelezi told Kathorus MAIL that the wall with controlled entry points would help to keep undesirable criminal elements out and ensure the safety of local residents inside.

The safety outcry by hostel leaders was sparked by the recent murder of a young resident mother and the death of a local i-Nduna at the hands of unknown killers inside the hostel. Both victims were shot and killed within three weeks by unknown gunmen.

Some hostel residents claim there have been at least 10 other unexplained similar shooting incidents inside the Nguni Hostel in Vosloorus since January this year.

i-Nduna Buthelezi, however, neither denied nor confirmed the figures and refused to be drawn into the subject.

“For now, let us focus on the two recent killings as we are still waiting for the police to come back to us to discuss the two cases,” he said.

Concerned hostel leaders and residents claim the onus is on the municipality to maintain the hostel since the Ekurhuleni municipality owns it.

“We hardly ever get services such as garbage collection and the whole place generally looks like a pigsty,” said i-Nduna Mthethwa.

i-Nduna Mthethwa, who took Kathorus MAIL on a walk around the compound, pointed out neglected infrastructure that allegedly contributes to the dire crime situation in the hostel.

“When it rains this substation floods and plunges the entire hostel complex into complete darkness. As a result crime increases when it is dark, and without electricity this whole place comes to a virtual standstill as people are too scared to walk the narrow passages,” explained i-Nduna Mthethwa.

“We urge the municipality to consider these issues a urgent and important, especially with the rainy season already upon us,” explained a resident who declined to give his name but agreed to pose for a photo next to the vandalised substation.

The leaders also claim that the dire conditions at the compound attract criminals.

i-Nduna Sibiya said it was sad that the hostel had been neglected by municipal authorities.

“We are prepared to work hand in hand with the municipality to keep this place crime free and habitable. But we need the municipality to engage us and give us direction to achieve this,” he said.

i-Nduna Buthelezi has urged police in Vosloorus to conduct regular patrols inside the hostels.

“Their (police) presence would be a major deterrent to criminals in the area,” he said.

This comment came amid claims that the hostel has been turned into a haven for criminals both within the compound as well as those who come from the nearby townships.

i-Nnduna Mthethwa added that criminals bring in stolen vehicles and other contraband goods which they then sell to the hostel residents.

“You also find hostel thugs who steal from the hostel and re-sell the stolen goods in the townships,” explained i-Nduna Mthethwa.

i-Nduna Ntshayi-Ntshayi described the levels of crime inside the Vosloorus Nguni hostel as “frightening”. “However, I cannot exclude our residents who live inside this hostel in the commission of these acts of criminality,” he said.

He added that the unrestricted movement of people in and out of the hostel was a serious breach of safety.

i-Nduna Sibiya, who had just returned from KZN, described the crime situation inside the Nguni Section hostel as “very concerning”.

“It affects the normality of life for many law-abiding citizens who are also victims of the soaring crime wave in Vosloorus. However, our main concern is the area in which we live as hostel dwellers,” i-Nduna Sibiya said.

The three izi-Nduna said the crimes involved the following:

· Stolen vehicles that are brought into the hostel by criminal gangs.

· The widespread availability of drugs and dealers inside the hostel.

· House break-ins.

· Criminals selling stolen goods in the compound.

· Criminals using the hostel as a hiding place.

Problems included:

· Lack of a security perimeter fencing around the hostel.

· Lack of secured entry points to monitor visitors.

“We are appealing to the municipality to build a security fence or wall around the hostel so that we can keep unwanted loiterers and criminals out of the compound. Right now any criminal can simply walk into the hostel and commit whatever crime he or she wishes to commit and then walk out again without being detected,” said a visibly concerned i-Nduna Sibiya.

However, when approached by Kathorus MAIL for comment, Vosloorus police’s media spokesperson Capt Piet Rossouw dismissed the allegations made by the hostel community leaders. He said the police were in regular contact with the izi-Nduna to discuss issues of crime and other related matters affecting residents at the hostel.

Rossouw said the police will always be available to deal with any crime situation at the hostel. He applauded the idea of building a wall around the hostel and said the police were in fact the first to suggest the idea to the izi-Nduna during a meeting at the hostel.

Asked for comment, Ekurhuleni municipality spokesperson

Themba Gadebe hailed he hostel’s willingness to resolve their problems

through and with the municipality.

Gadebe warned, however, that the appeal to have

the hostel fenced off had financial implications and that the municipality still had to evaluate the request.

Gadebe further urged hostel residents to continue to engage with the council regarding the matter.