Residents of Khayamandi were urged to be proactive and help Stellenbosch police fight the escalating crime in the area.
The police, along with representatives of the Khayamandi Community Policing Forum (CPF), the district CPF, the Cape Winelands Police District and Correctional Services, participated in a Cape Winelands district imbizo on Wednesday (16 July).
Residents filled the local community hall airing their grievances, especially after the murder of two brothers the previous week in the very street they gathered in.
The siblings were gunned down in Makupula Street at their barber shop on Thursday 10 July (“Teens arrested for murder”, Eikestadnuus, 17 July).
Brigadier Sandile Sonjani, Stellenbosch police station commander, said they were confronted by criminals on Wednesday 9 July, who told them to pay money so they could continue to operate the business. He said when the two refused, it seems suspects returned the next day and killed them.
“This extortion is one of the biggest current criminal issues in Khayamandi. These scoundrels are visiting barber shops, hair salons and spaza shops looking for money. But when we speak to the business owners, they say they are not willing to open cases because they fear for their safety,” he said.
“They would rather pay than take the risk. They will rather live with this sin than resolve it, and it will not end.”
Sonjani added the three teenagers who were originally arrested in connection with the brothers’ murder had since been released as there was no evidence to connect them to the crime. It is alleged the masterminds behind the brothers’ deaths were in prison.
Sonjani emphasised the importance of the community sharing information with police to help arrest and successfully convict criminals. He added it is important for locals to work with police and not, as was the case with many instances of gender-based violence, withdraw cases.
Sonjani said criminals are terrorising the community and, by not speaking out, nothing will change.
Among residents’ complaints was the lack of police visibility, reactive crime-fighting and the need for more street lights. One resident claimed that simply coming to the imbizo was a safety concern, as criminals could note who attended it.
Brigadier Neville Malila, of the district, said residents must be willing to call the police on their own family members so that they ultimately stop committing their crimes. “We know it is not many people committing these crimes. Most of the community members are friendly and helpful, but there are small elements in our community, and we know who they are – some are our sons and daughters; they are in our homes,” Malila related.
He said if residents know family members are unemployed but come home with expensive goods, they should ask questions and contact the police if they suspect criminal activity.
Malila said local and district police are heeding the community’s concerns, while Sebastian Abrahams of the Cape Winelands CPF urged locals to join the Khayamandi CPF.
