ADVERTISEMENT:

 
 

The petrol bomb victims, Muphulusi and Mukundi, show their wounds.

Are the police defending the suspects?

 

The community of Mvelaphanda in Thohoyandou have made their intentions clear that, should the police in the Vuwani cluster not arrest exposed suspects, the community will take the law into their own hands.

This follows an incident three months ago when the house of a local family was attacked and set alight with a petrol bomb. Four people were badly injured in the fire and had to be transferred to the Mankweng Hospital for treatment. One of the children later died as a result of the injuries sustained.

Ms Ntambudzeni Tshikosi and her eight children were sleeping inside the house when the attackers arrived. The attackers threw petrol bombs at the house in the early morning hours, setting it alight and badly injuring the occupants.

One of the children, Mulweli Tshiwela, had to be airlifted to the Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto, where she died. Two of the girls, Muphulusi and Mukundi, spent two months in Mankweng Hospital. The two girls have not fully recovered and are still undergoing treatment. 

Ms Tshikosi said that the family was not happy with the manner in which the police were investigating the case. “We received a call from the officer who is investigating the matter and he told us that they are waiting for the documents from Vodacom that can lead to the arrest of the suspects. They told us that in cases like ours it can take up to a year to trace the suspects,” said Tshiwela. 

Tshiwela added that the children still lived in fear and found it difficult to sleep at night.

Community leader Mr Humbulani Nemakhavhani said that the community had waited long enough to be given information about the suspects. “As a community, we had an agreement to stay calm and give the police the names of the suspects, but they still hesitate to arrest them. When we ask about the investigations, they tell us that the person responsible for investigating the case is on leave,” said Nemakhavhani.

Nemakhavhani added that the community members were going to hold a meeting with the cluster police to discuss a way forward. “We want to barricade the Vuwani roads and show the police that we have had enough of crime in our area. An innocent child died for nothing because of people who are heartless,” said Nemakhavhani.

Nemakhavhani said that the family members of Tshiwela were still receiving threats from the suspects and the police were not doing anything to ensure the safety of the family. “The two sisters whose children were burnt received messages saying that they are trying to be the police’s witnesses, but they won't succeed. One of the suspects opened a domestic violence case against the family and the family were summoned to come to court to testify,” said Nemakhavhani.

The spokesperson for the SAPS, Lt Colonel Ngoepe, confirmed that no suspects had been arrested regarding this case and that the investigations are still continuing.

 

From left are Ntambudzeni Tshikosi, Muphulusi Tshikosi, Robert Tshiwela and Mukundi Tshiwela.

Muphulusi and Mukundi Tshiwela, two victims of the arson attack.

Mukundi Tshiwela.

Muphulusi Tshikosi.

 

Date:25 June 2018

By: Tracy Ngobeni

Tracy Ngobeni is a 20-year-old intern who is doing her final year in journalism at Tsh­wane University of Technology. She was born and bred in Olifantshoek. She started her journalism career in 2017, after submitting her articles to the Record Noweto Newspaper in Pretoria. Her heart beats for print media because she believes that writing can heal reader's souls.

Read: 1394

 

ADVERTISEMENT

 

ADVERTISEMENT:

ADVERTISEMENT:

 

Recent Articles

ADVERTISEMENT

 

Popular Articles