Mlamli Mgxada decided to deal with stock thieves as part of the Masifunisane Crime Prevention Forum in Bityi, a rural village 40km from Mthatha in the Eastern Cape.

Standing up to these criminals cost him his wife, who was gunned down three weeks ago, and seven family members, who were shot dead as they prepared to bury her.

Mgxada has since fled his homestead. 

Deputy Minister of State Security Zizi Kodwa (left) and Minister Bheki Cele visited the Mgxada family on Tuesday. (Photo: Hoseya Jubase)

Police officers armed with automatic weapons talk to a Mgxada family member who also fears for his life. ( Photo: Hoseya Jubase)

On Tuesday, he was visited by Bheki Cele and Zizi Kodwa. Police officers armed with automatic weapons guarded the home where they were meeting.

“I did nothing wrong. I am just a member of Masifunisane Forum and we are dealing with the stock theft here,” Mgxada said.

“They came to look for me. They killed my wife. Then they killed seven of my family members… They are saying I am the one who is exposing their wrong deeds and they want me dead,” he said.

The seven members of Mgxada’s family were: Notawuzile Fukuzana (68),  Nokulunga Mgxada (38), Ntombelanga Mgxada (42), Mkangeli Nomasango (age unknown), Pumzile Mgxada (30) and Nkosikona Mgxada (29).

The deceased are expected to be laid to rest on Thursday.

‘I am hiding to protect my life’

“I am scared. They can kill me any time. I am no longer sleeping in this house. I am hiding somewhere protecting my life… I will return to my house the day I receive the news that these thugs are arrested, but not now,” he said.

Mlamli Mgxada (left), the father of the Mgxada family who is wanted dead by alleged organised thugs and Zibuzele Cobotwana, a relative, listen to Minister of Police Bheki Cele. (Photo: Hoseya Jubase)

The grave of Novotile Mgxada, who was shot and killed two weeks ago after a group of men entered her house looking for her husband Mlamli Mgxada. (Photo: Hoseya Jubase)

According to a police incident report, the attack on the seven mourners took place on Wednesday, 16 November at about 11.30pm. Three unknown men forced their way into the homestead and opened fire.  Six people died at the scene and a seventh in hospital.

In the past two weeks, 20 people have been gunned down in areas around Bityi, according to Bhovulengwe Mtirarathe, chief of the Matyengqina administrative area.

“People are being killed daily in the surrounding areas and people are afraid to speak out because they are fearing for their lives,” he said.

‘Review the laws’

During his visit, Kodwa called on the government to review the laws of the country to protect the victims.

“We have to review the laws… the ANC is heading to an elective conference and they need to review the laws of this country. The laws are meant to protect the vulnerable, but there is a sense in the society that criminal justice and law is no longer protecting them. That has the potential to create social instability in the country, and therefore we shouldn’t run away from this issue.

“The perception now is that the laws of the country favour criminals… it’s important to review the current legislation and we need to make sure people still have confidence in criminal justice as a whole,” he added.

Police minister Bheki Cele expressed shock at the ongoing instability around Mthatha, saying they planned to come back and spend a few days in the Mthatha area.

“This is one of the biggest provinces. We have been in Mthatha. We have been in Port St Johns. We have tried to work with the leadership here,” Cele said.

He added: “The next visit we planned is to spend some days visiting the police precinct. There are problems here. There is a shortage of resources from our side, including personnel. We can work on other resources quicker. Personnel will take some time.

‘Organised criminality’

“There is a very organised criminality going on around here… people who work in the justice system doing things they are not supposed to do… the commissioners are here. Both national and provincial. It will only allow people to relax if we find these people who committed this crime.

“But we found the community divided. The police cannot help one side against the other side. But we will apprehend everybody we believe has committed a crime,” Cele said.

“We want to bring everybody that has to do with anything in the police, from the national commissioner with his deputies, the head of the Hawks, because there is serious organised crime around here, especially… the hijacking of buildings, the taxi violence issues.

“We want to come for three weeks and work on those things. The amakhosi (traditional leaders) have invited us for an imbizo.

“We want to pass on our condolences for what has happened here (in Bityi), but our condolences will only be realised once we have done our work and we arrest (the criminals),” Cele said.

“The first thing we need to fix is this long list of victims and a short list of people apprehended for the crime… We must find them and put them to the law.”

He promised to enhance the investigative capabilities of the police, if needed. 

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Last Friday, while speaking at the funeral of four children in Ngcobo, who had been killed with a sledgehammer wielded by their mother, Eastern Cape premier Oscar Mabuyane referred to the Bityi massacre, saying he had requested an urgent meeting with Cele.

“We must address this before it gets out of hand… We cannot allow these criminals to terrorise our province like this. We are not used to such things. There are guns everywhere,” Mabuyane said.

The premier said he had also written to Cele for help with improved intelligence capacity in the province.

“We are no longer just talking about vulnerable urban areas,” he said, adding that the rural areas had become highly vulnerable to crime as armed criminals fled from the cities to hide in the mountains.

Acting provincial commissioner Major General Thandiswa Kupiso expressed her shock at the murder of the seven mourners in Bityi. She has directed that a team be assigned to investigate the killings. DM/MC