Four patrollers killed in Marry Me Soshanguve Tshwane on Saturday morning photo supplied
There is mayhem is Soshasnguve at the moment.
This after four anti-crime community patrollers were burnt, shot and killed in the wee hours of Saturday morning in the area.
Eight other patrollers are believed to be in hospital after the onslaught that they and their fellow patrollers were subjected to.
“Four counts of murder and eight counts of attempted murder are being investigated by the police,” said Gauteng Police Spokesperson Brigadier Brenda Muridilli.
“The police in Soshanguve responded to a crime scene at about 6.00 at the Marry Me Informal Settlement in Extension 3 Soshanguve and found four bodies with gunshot wounds and partially burnt,” said Muridilli in a media statement released on Saturday morning.
“Witnesses reported that other victims, confirmed to be eight, were taken to hospital in private vehicles and ambulances,” she said.
“Preliminary investigations suggest that at about 3.00 a group of community-based patrollers were converging to continue with their routine patrols when they noticed five people in the street, and when the patrollers approached the said five people a quarrel ensued and ended up with four patrollers dead and eight of them (patrollers) seriously injured,” she said.
Muridilli said the motive of the attack will be determined by police investigations.
She revealed that the Provincial and District Serious and Violent Crime Investigative Unit together with forensic experts were currently combing the crime scene area and interviewing witnesses.
Residents who spoke to Tshwane Talks on condition of remaining anonymous as they fear victimisation said that as inhabitants of the “Marry Me” (Soshanguve Extension 3) informal settlement area they live in fear because foreigners commit criminal acts of housebreaking against them and also rob and mug them at taverns.
It is widely believed that the community patrollers were killed by foreigners.
According to reports, the community patrollers were sitting at their usual crime prevention spot and that the foreigners came with the intention to rob and kill them, this as patrollers are a deterrent to their (foreigner’s) criminal activities.
According to witnesses, the patrollers were apparently first sprayed with acid by the foreigners to make them weak, before the selfsame foreigners shot and killed them while they (patrollers) were warming themselves around a ground fire to keep themselves warm.
“They were attacked and killed because they are protecting the community against criminals,” said one resident.
“We are living in fear of our lives because at night criminal foreigners control our area with their illicit activities, and the police are always called to come to our rescue but don’t pitch up because they receive bribes from these foreign criminals,” lamented the witness.
(PATROLLERS) An anonymous patroller said patrollers should always bear in mind that they are doing patrol work to protect the community and that they should know their rightful roles and stop conducting raids at the houses of criminals, this as they are not police officers.
“While our members are traumatised and angry at the loss of life of our counterparts in Soshanguve, we are more ready and energised to continue to work with other stakeholders and law-enforcement agencies to continue to keep our communities safe and ever more vigilant,” said Mamelodi East and West CPF PRO Eddie Mnguni.
“We don’t know what happened in Soshanguve, but we will learn from that incident and engage with the department of community safety to make sure that all our CPF structures are properly resourced,” he said.
Meanwhile, a group known as Saam Sokolo Security has, together with the SAPS, reportedly launched a coordinated manhunt in order to bring the villains of this heinous crime to book.
“These brave individuals, who committed their lives to keeping our community safe, were killed in cold blood, and we will not rest until the culprits are brought to justice,” read a media statement released by Saam Sokolo Security CEO and Founder Kgothatso Ramautswa.
“We will deploy all necessary resources to intervene in the informal settlements and we are committed to restoring the dignity of the community and we will do so by force, if necessary,” wrote Ramautswa.
Be that as it may, the City of Tshwane MMC for Health together with Ward 89 Councillor Phashasha and Deputy Chief Whip of ANC Councillors Marishane, are currently at the ” Marry Me” (Soshanguve Extension 3) informal settlement and monitoring the situation after the devastating, fatal incident.
Authorities are presently actively investigating the circumstances and motive surrounding the gruesome attack on the Soshanguve Extension 3 community patrollers.