SANDF joins police in search for Mt Ayliff killers

Following the killing of seven men in Mount Ayllif on Christmas morning, the South African National Defence Force has joined forces with the South African Police Service to pursue suspects who are possibly hiding in a vast, unforgiving and undulated area around Mount Ayllif.

“The SANDF is assisting with equipment, including helicopters and providing reinforcements as a force-multiplier to our already deployed reinforcements,” the SAPS said in a statement.

Six people were also hospitalised following a violent clash between two groups of men from Mpheni and Nokhatshile villages in Mt Ayliff in the Eastern Cape, The Citizen reported earlier.

According to Eastern Cape government spokesperson Mvusiwekhaya Sicwetsha, 10 men from Mpheni village allegedly attacked a group of men at Nokhatshile village.

“The fight between these two groups is believed to have been caused by factional disputes of local taxi associations. Our information is that seven men, mostly from Nokhatshile village were killed and six men were injured and rushed to hospital.”

The SAPS Acting National Commissioner, Lieutenant General Sindile Mfazi, has ordered the immediate deployment of reinforcements to ensure a speedy stabilisation of the area, which is currently very tense.

“I am appealing to the community within the Mount Ayliff and surrounding areas to exercise maximum restraint and to assist police in their investigations to bring those responsible for these attacks to book.

“We are further appealing to anyone who has any information to please contact the SAPS on 086 00 10111 or provide such information via MySAPSApp, an Application which can be downloaded via Play Store on any iPhone or Android. All information will be treated with strictest confidence and callers may remain anonymous,” said Mfazi.

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