Mthwalume activist Hlengiwe Gambushe said she now fears for her life after a fellow activist, Thembelihle Qalani was found dead with gunshot wounds in the area on Sunday, September 25.
Gambushe said she is now scared because Qalani was one of the women who was with her when they were advocating for a safer Mthwalume in 2020 following the multiple killings of women in the area.
According to KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson, Lieutenant-Colonel Nqobile Gwala, police received a complaint of a murder at Nyangwini area on Sunday.
Gwala said on arrival, they were shown a room with the body of a 46-year-old woman, saying that the victim had multiple gunshot wounds.
“The motive for the killing is unknown. The Hibberdene police are investigating a case of murder,” said Gwala.
Meanwhile, Gambushe said the murder of Qalani has made her wonder whether she is next on the list of people who will be killed.
“The reason why I feel that my life is in danger is because Thembelihle was one of the people wo wanted to find the serial killer who was targeting women in the area. I worked very closely with her at that time because she was also a women’s rights activist and a community activist. I have been in hiding because someone was allegedly following her and killed her, I feel like my life is in danger,” said Gambushe.
Meanwhile, one of Qalani’s neighbours who did not want to be named said the most shocking and scariest thing is that none of the neighbours heard anything.
She added that she fears that this could be the start of more femicide in the area.
Ward 19 councillor Sifundo Ngwane said Qalani was a committed and strong member of the Inkatha Freedom Party.
He added that they cannot speculate when it comes to the murder of Qalani, saying that in speculation, they may end up shifting attention in such a way that they may disturb the investigation of the police.
“We have lost a very committed and a very strong comrade in the IFP, she was always driven with a sense of willingness. As the IFP, we are not in a position to speculate on who is behind the killing because we are not investigators and we do not have the skill to investigate. And of course, there is fear among the women, children and the IFP because we do not know where the killer is from,” said Ngwane.
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