Pretoria – Police remain on high alert in the volatile Diepsloot area, in Gauteng, following the recent spate of brutal murders which have caused an uproar in the community.
On Thursday morning, a man identified as Zimbabwean national and father of four Elvis Nyathi was assaulted, stoned and burnt to death overnight by a group of vigilante group members moving door-to-door through the informal settlement, challenging residents to produce passports and identity documents to prove their nationality.
“The management of the South African Police Service has since mobilised extra resources in the form of vehicles and boots on the ground, bolstering efforts to stabilise the situation in Diepsloot, Johannesburg following protests that erupted in the area on Wednesday, 6 April 2022,” said SAPS national spokesperson Colonel Athlenda Mathe.
She said a search is also under way for an unconfirmed number of assailants “who allegedly used the protest as a cover-up for criminality and killed 44-year-old Elvis Nyathi”.
“It is reported that prior to the incident the group had been moving from house to house claiming to be searching for criminals and demanding either passports or money. The deceased is said to have ran out of his house and the group gave chase, caught up with Nyathi and killed him. The suspects evaded arrest after fleeing the scene,” Mathe said.
A multi-disciplinary task team of detectives led by the Gauteng deputy provincial commissioner for crime detection, Major General Mbuso Khumalo is investigating the murder of Nyathi.
“Anyone who may have information on the identity and whereabouts of the suspects, is urged to report by calling the Crime Stop number 08600 10111 or via the MySAPS app that can be downloaded onto any smartphone. All information will be treated with the strictest confidentiality,” Mathe said.
“At this point, police can also confirm that according to Diepsloot SAPS record of reported cases, only five murders were reported between Wednesday, 30 March and Sunday, 3 April 2022.”
She said these murders emanated from separate unrelated incidents, and investigations are still under way to arrest the suspects.
“This is contrary to seven murders that have been reported in the media,” Mathe said.
With only seven days in office, newly-appointed national commissioner of SAPS, General Fannie Masemola has reiterated his commitment to ensure the rejuvenation of functional community policing forums, and strengthening relations between communities and the local police.
In response to the Diepsloot community’s complaints about crime in the area and the resultant protest, Masemola, with Police Minister Bheki Cele visited the area daily, over the past two days.
A fleet of police vehicles was delivered to the Diepsloot police station on Thursday, to help bolstering the fight against crime, which the community says had gone out of hand.
Sixteen vehicles were delivered to the police station as had been promised by Cele, according to his spokesperson Lirandzu Themba.
Tensions have been high between locals and foreign nationals living in the area after some residents embarked on a community shutdown at the start of the week, voicing their concerns about the appalling crime plaguing the poverty-stricken township, which lies just 25km away from Africa’s richest square mile, Sandton.
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