A 74-year-old madala allegedly stunned a meeting of stakeholders last Tuesday when he allegedly confessed that he is a member of the notorious Mamelodi-based group of gangsters called Boko Haram.
The elderly man introduced himself as Makgetla Simelane.
The meeting had been arranged by the Gauteng Legislature Community Safety Portfolio Committee and was led by acting chairperson Thulani Kunene.
Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi, various Councillors, several members of the Gauteng Legislature and police top brass attended the meeting, which was held at the Stanza Bopape Community Hall in the Far East of Mamelodi with the aim of addressing issues of crime including Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in Mamelodi East.
The acting chairperson Thulani Kunene, was visibly disappointed, angry and shocked by the elderly man’s admission that he is a member of the infamous Boko Haram gang.
“It is difficult to understand why an elderly man like Simelane is doing wrong things by confessing that he is a member of the Boko Haram gangsters and even if he made this admission as a symbolic gesture or figure of speech the statement is still wrong and uncalled for,” said Kunene.
“As Community Safety Portfolio Committee members our job is to play an oversight role and we are not engaged in operational activities of the police,” said Kunene as he in the process explained that he was not privy to police investigations regarding Boko Haram gangsters in Mamelodi.
“Ntate Simelane is a respected and well-known member of the community of Mamelodi but what he said today about being a member of the Boko Haram gangsters was irresponsible and I think he got carried away by the occasion and said something that he didn’t actually intend to say, and I hope the police will engage Ntate Simelane and resolve the matter regarding his unfortunate statement,” said a disappointed Ward 16 Councillor Seabelo Marishane.
“I am 74 years old and I can’t be a member of Boko Haram but I can be a community activist and stand up for the rights of the residents of Mamelodi,” said Simelane in a somewhat paradoxical manner when asked to clarify a statement he had made earlier on during the meeting about being an extortionist and a member of Boko Haram.
“Boko Haram clearly has influence in Mamelodi, Boko Haram is the buzz word in Mamelodi,” said a confident Simelane.
“You want attention, use Boko Haram; you want things done,use Boko Haram; you want the people to do something, use Boko Haram; you want the police to do something, use Boko Haram,” he enthused.
Simelane insisted that he used derogatory language against law enforcers (the police) because they are apparently not doing their work.
He pointed out that there are many cases related to assassinations in Mamelodi and that he personally made a follow-up regarding the progress of these cases with the police only to be told that the cases won’t be pursued as the dead victims were suspects regarding various criminal cases in and around Mamelodi.
According to Simelane assassinations in Mamelodi amount to 47 and the victims’ faces were beyond recognition as their heads had been smashed into smithereens by the hail of bullets that were used to kill them.
He insisted that the Station Commanders of both Mamelodi West and East Police stations can bear testimony to the fact that he has tried his best to make sure that the rampant assassinations are investigated but his efforts in this regard have drawn a blank.
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