Angry Khubvi residents demolish church, houses in protest

Tired of what they call the police's inability to deal with crime in their area, incensed residents at Khubvi outside Thohoyandou went on the rampage, blockading roads with branches, stones and burning tyres.

The drama unfolded over the past three weeks. Allegations are that a group of criminals calling themselves the "Boko Haram", a name derived from a terror group which is linked to the deaths of more than 3 000 people in Nigeria, has been terrorizing the community in Khubvi.

According to reports, the gang has unleashed a reign of terror on the community, leaving a trail of robberies, rapes, serious assaults and thefts. There are allegations that a member of the gang is related to a well-known pastor in the village, who has a large following in the community.

It is alleged that she is responsible for providing bail to members whenever they are arrested.

This has made the community so angry that they went berserk, and on Tuesday, February 3, they went to the church, torching it before demolishing it. They also went to the home belonging to the mother of the pastor and set it on fire. Other houses belonging to families of the gang members had their windows broken and fences demolished by the angry residents.

At some stage, residents had running battles with the police when they tried to put blockades and burning tyres on the streets. CPF chairperson Christian Ramulifho said there had been many robberies, rapes and attacks on residents by the "Boko Haram" group. "Residents are angry; they have had enough and are blaming the police for not arresting these known criminals. We had an urgent meeting here in the village to discuss the state of security, and while we were still busy trying to chart the way forward, angry youths stormed out of the meeting and went out hunting for the suspects."

Attempts to get hold of the pastor were fruitless as her phone rang without being answered. Thohoyandou police spokesperson Const Avhafarei Tshiovhe confirmed the incidents at the village but said no one had been arrested so far in connection with the destruction and burning of properties. "We have opened arson cases in respect of the pastor's mother's house in Mukula and the church at Khubvi."

Date:19 February 2015

By: Elmon Tshikhudo

Elmon Tshikhudo started off as a photographer. He developed an interest in writing and started submitting articles to local as well as national publications. He became part of the Limpopo Mirror family in 2005 and was a permanent part of the news team until 2019.

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