The South African Police Service (Saps) in Eldorado Park, Johannesburg, has been accused of letting several vigilante accomplices in a double murder and kidnapping case walk free.
This follows the police’s announcement that a third and final suspect in the matter had been arrested and made his first appearance at the Protea Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday.
The case emanates from the grizzly murder of two men and the alleged attempted murder of a third victim who survived a night of kidnapping and torture earlier this month. The men were 28 and 29 years old while the survivor was 21.
The alleged vigilantes, homeowners supposedly vexed by repeated burglaries at their properties, apparently banded together to hunt down several men in the area whom they blamed for the crimes.
In what appears to have been deadly acts of vigilantism, the two deceased’s bodies were found in the area within hours of the murders while the surviving victim was apparently placed in witness protection.
Saps Johannesburg spokesperson Kay Makhubele told The Citizen that police had handed the matter over to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) after the last outstanding suspect was arrested and appeared in court this Wednesday.
ALSO READ: Two bodies found wrapped in plastic in Eldorado Park house
According to local Patriotic Alliance councillor Ashley Sauls, the surviving victim told him there were eight vigilantes and not three as believed by the police.
“The main instigator who is the mastermind behind the whole thing is now a state witness. Why would they want to do that when he is one of the guys who did the deed? When they go around terrorising family members of the surviving victim,” Sauls has said.
Sauls also alleged the vigilante group had approached a fourth suspected house robber whom they interrogated within hours of the alleged murders, but he narrowly escaped their fatal wrath.
According to Sauls, the remaining five men allegedly involved in the murders were terrorising witnesses. Members of the Patriotic Alliance in the community convinced the alleged victim to approach the police to give a statement on the case, but there was no indication that his allegations would be investigated by the police.
“The public statement made by the cops is that the last outstanding suspect has been arrested. Those words give the impression that they have arrested everybody who did this, but the community knows that those who are still walking free are terrorising people’s families and the problem is they are misleading the public by suggesting that they are basically about to close the case and are in fact ready to go on trial.”
A week of horror
The grizzly scene of the crime painted a picture far darker than usual for just vigilantism, another witness Dwain Ponsonby alleged.
The bodies were found by police and community members at the house of one of the alleged vigilantes, who had now turned state witness. This was a week before the victims apparently went missing. Ponsonby claims to have discovered the bodies in the house himself, wrapped in black bags and blankets and surrounded by blood pooled on the floor.
ALSO READ: Eldorado Park residents attack police after teenager’s death in shootout
The bodies were badly damaged and decomposed and a bucket sat near the bodies, where Ponsonby believed he saw brain matter and other fluids, suggesting an extraordinary level of violence was inflicted on the victims. The survivor was apparently dumped at a nearby hospital, badly injured by the assailants.
Violence and theft on the rise
Democratic Alliance councillor in the area and former speaker of Johannesburg, Vasco Da Gama, said these horrific acts were symptoms of worsening conditions the poor and unemployed were living under in the area.
Johannesburg has seen an increase of crime since the Covid-19 pandemic began, according to Da Gama.
“There are streetlights that are broken and other damaged infrastructure, and all these things are happening because others need to feed themselves or feed their families. There is also a big drug problem in these communities where young people are using drugs and to feed that habit they are resorting to crime.”
WATCH: Cele calls for calm in Eldorado Park as angry residents demand release of arrested leader
Countless policing interventions by national and provincial governments have only served to highlight the lack of resources and buy-in from the very officers charged with defending the law, Da Gama suggests. Gang-related violence, rampant drug dealing and abuse prevailed in Eldorado despite interventions which followed a visit by then President Jacob Zuma in 2013 and Police Minister Bheki Cele last year.
“I think the police are not resourced enough and they don’t have the necessary tools to combat the crime levels in the area. There were only two cars patrolling at some point and Eldorado is a big area with very small manpower, which is needed for visible policing. ”
Sauls argued that the rise in crime and drug-related issues was not just linked to unemployment, but also linked to poor service delivery. The community wants to work with the police to bring criminals to book, but the police were simply not playing their part effectively, he concluded.
simnikiweh@citizen.co.za
For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.