Public Protector to visit Durban ‘death’ hostel

07 February 2017 - 16:26 By Bongani Mthethwa
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Officials from Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane’s office will visit the notorious Glebelands Hostel in Umlazi in Durban next week following yet another killing of a man in what police believe was a domestic-related murder.

The 37-year-old man was found lying on the ground with a gunshot wound to the forehead last Friday night and no arrest has been made in connection with the murder.

Public protector spokesman Oupa Segalwe said that next week they will be meeting with the complainants who have brought the latest killing to their attention.

This comes after a similar visit and investigation by former public protector Thuli Madonsela into the security at the hostel last year.

At the time the Commonwealth Legal Education Association petitioned the public protector to investigate the area where more than 50 residents were killed between the beginning of 2014 and 2015.

In a report titled “Stop the Carnage” released in October last year‚ Madonsela concluded that the SAPS and metro police had failed to protect and secure the hostel residents and their property.

She recommended that the provincial police commissioner consider the establishment of a satellite police station within the hostel premises and to ensure that a sufficient number of police officers were deployed inside the hostel whenever there was a threat of violence.

Police spokeswoman Colonel Thembeka Mbhele said a police satellite station and additional members were still in place at the hostel.

“Glebelands like all other hostels is characterised by a high level of lawlessness and remains a challenge to the SAPS and all other roleplayers. As SAPS we have committed a large portion of our resources and funds to specifically police the Glebelands hostel‚” she said.

Madonsela had also recommended that the eThekwini municipality implement access control as provided in its hostel policy and the municipal manager must take measures to ensure a safe environment at the hostel.

The municipality on Monday said it has set aside R22.8-million for the next two financial years to ensure safety at Glebelands.

But community activist Vanessa Burgher said that none of Madonsela’s recommendations had been implemented except for a R2-million budget allocated by municipality for the installation for CCTV cameras in each block.

She said there had been at least seven cases of people being killed in front of these cameras.

“These cameras are not used for the prevention of crime and to secure convictions. In Glebelands there has still been no convictions‚” said Burger.

Segalwe said Madonsela’s report was provisional and they were still collating the responses from the implicated parties.

TMG Digital/TimesLIVE

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