Nomzamo Park remains a painful place for locals

The crime –stricken community made up of over 400 RDP houses surrounded by densely populated informal settlement, highlights the reality of an unjust society, riddled by high crime rate and unemployment.

Urban News visited one of the ten CPF members in the area who said the living conditions had not improved.

He told the publication that illegal firearms and house break-ins were rife in the township, allegedly at the hands of the Maseru section which continues to terrorise the community.

“There has been no change since the shooting last year. There are still high crime levels, the police are still afraid to patrol here at night. Every night we hear the hail of gunshots right into the early hours of the morning, we live under extremely hard conditions of not knowing who will be shot next,” he said.

ALSO READ: NPA withdraws charges in the Nomzamo shooting case

Last year after visiting the area following the shooting, Minister of Police, Bheki Cele deployed the Tactical Response Team to patrol the area.

He also promised that five sector vehicles would be allocated to the Orlando SAPS to increase police visibility and decrease crime in the area. But the resident said this was short-lived and the community was still gripped with fear as there was no end in sight for crime.

In one of the recent shootings, it is alleged that Basotho nationals from Maseru section shot and killed three people while a fourth victim who was passing by was still in hospital.

“The fear is always there, that one of us might be caught in the crossfire or that it could be me who returns in a body bag.

“We don’t know what to do because we don’t want any more blood to be split in our community or community having to police itself because of the difficulty that the government is failing in addressing,” said the CPF member.

Residents said they will not stop demanding justice for their loved ones.

Nowethu Gamede, mother to one of the youngest victims of the massacre said, “The incident is still very clear in my mind like it happened yesterday, perhaps because I am near to where he took his last breath.

“I am forced to relive that day every time I step out of the house, even the bullet marks are still visible,” she told Urban News.

Being the only boy among six children, his mother said they were looking to him to finish school and assist the family. Her son talked about joining the army when he grows up, the mother recalls.

Gamede said they had hoped that justice would prevail, but were saddened at the outcomes of the criminal case against the suspects.

“It has gotten harder, especially now that they have freed those whom we believed committed these horrific crimes. There is no law in our country. You are nothing if you don’t have money in this country. The law favours criminal perpetrators and works against us who are poor.”

ALSO READ: Nomzamo shooting was a “mistake”, affidavit reveals

Last month, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) announced its decision to withdraw the criminal charges against all the accused in the incident. It cited that there are no prospects of a successful prosecution as “requests for further investigation were not complied with due to witnesses fearing for their lives or witnesses subsequently losing their lives.”

The suspects were facing counts of murder, multiple attempted murder, robbery with aggravated circumstances and defeating the ends of justice.

“The sudden change from being mobile to constantly asking someone to become my hands and feet has been a tough one. It has required me to adapt to a new life,” stated one of the survivors of the shooting, Inga Mkoko.

Mkoko who was 25 at the time of the shooting sustained 13 gunshots wounds on the day. He said he had gone to the tavern to play pool table before intruders opened fire. In an emergency operation, doctors amputated his legs and underwent seven operations to reconstruct his arm and right hand.

A few months before the shooting, he had applied to the University of Tshwane to study civil engineering, something which he could never do again.

A recent trip to the hospital revealed that his arm would need another operation as the skin around the wound had sores and blisters.

ALSO READ: Nomzamo residents call for no bail as alleged killers set to apply for bail

“Every day I am coming to terms with my new reality, but what makes it worse is the place where we stay, we rely on communal toilets which are at a distance and not accessible with a wheelchair.

“I have to be carried into the cubicle or use a bucket inside the house. When it gets extremely cold, my body aches,” he added.

He is among those who called on the government to aid the affected families and victims with at least proper housing to accommodate his new condition or a job for one member of the family.