ACCESS to forest off-road biking routes near Mandlanzini will in future be controlled.
This follows the malicious killing of three cows in a random shooting incident recently.
City of uMhlathuze Mayor Mdu Mhlongo met with the Richards Bay police, Community Policing
Forums, Mandlanzini farmers and city officials on Thursday to map out a plan to apprehend the culprits responsible for the incident and also to curb further attacks.
The investigation into the senseless killing of and injuries to other cattle is ongoing, but no arrests have yet been made.
The cattle were grazing near the forest, which is also used as an off-road biking route, when two bikers allegedly shot the cows.
The mayor said tough action needs to be taken to address this issue and urged the police to move swiftly and make arrests as soon as possible.
‘In our attempts to resolve this matter, we want to send a strong message to the perpetrators and any others that we will not tolerate such cruel acts.
‘We will intensify police and security visibility around the route and devise means of controlling access to bikers on the route.
‘We will engage all Richards Bay cluster councillors and leadership structures to ensure that in all community meetings, this issue is discussed,’ said Mhlongo.
He commended the farmers for remaining calm and having followed proper communication channels to address the matter.
‘We appreciate that farmers accepted this as a crime incident and not a racial issue.
‘People of the City of uMhlathuze have worked very hard to ensure peaceful co-existence between communities of different colour.
‘We therefore want to remain united and fight criminal elements which might want to damage that good relationship,’ Mayor Mhlongo said.
Action
Representing the community, the farmers’ chairperson, Dubula Lukhele, said the farmers ‘do not want to take revenge or fight fire with fire’.
‘We are peaceful and want this matter to be resolved amicably.
‘We lost our property and this is not the first time, but we are extending an olive branch to our white counterparts.
‘We love our white neighbours and we do not want anything that will separate us.
‘If they are concerned with our cattle they must tell us so we will resolve it and in future if we have a problem with them, we will not hesitate to mention it in the name of peace,’ said Lukhele.
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