A businesswoman who operates a waste management company says she is living in fear of extortionists, and accused the KaNyamazane police of failing her.
The woman, who opted to remain anonymous, operates her business at the Mbombela Landfill near Tekwane South where she claims to have created job opportunities for the youth and women. These people go around collecting plastic and cans, which they then sell to her for recycling.
Some people came to me demanding cash and warned me that I could not continue operating if I did not pay them.
She said she had reported cases of intimidation, assault and damage to property to the KaNyamazane Police Station on at least three different occasions after some people she described as extortionists had attacked her and her workers. “I first reported the cases in February, then in April and then again in September. Some people came to me demanding cash and warned me that I could not continue operating if I did not pay them. They looted my goods, assaulted some workers and damaged my property,” she said.
She said she lost well over R500 000’s worth of goods as a result of the looting, and seeing that the KaNyamazane police were not helpful, she reported them to the office of the acting provincial police commissioner, Major General Dr Zeph Mkhwanazi. “It took the intervention of the commissioner for the KaNyamazane SAPS to arrest the suspects,” said the woman.
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A provincial police spokesperson, Colonel Donald Mdhluli, confirmed that Mkhwanazi intervened after the victim had contacted his office. Subsequently, two people were arrested and appeared in the Nelspruit Magistrate’s Court last week.
The charges against one of the arrestees, believed to be a councillor, were withdrawn after the court had found he was only present during the attacks, but did not actually do anything. Meanwhile, Christopher Tugum Nkosi was granted R1 000 bail pending his next court appearance on November 13.
This was sabotage at its worst. Someone is trying to bring us down, despite our company employing well over 30 people.
The Mpumalanga NPA’s spokesperson, Monica Nyuswa, said the suspect was charged with intimidation, the pointing of a firearm, malicious damage to property and assault.
In a separate incident, the owner of Swikoxeni Waste Management in Lillydale in the Bushbuckridge Local Municipality, Bethuel Mashele, said some refuse that was waiting to be sent for recycling was burnt down by some unknown perpetrators on Saturday, October 5. “This was sabotage at its worst. Someone is trying to bring us down, despite our company employing well over 30 people. We are still investigating why somebody burnt our stock,” said Mashele.
