Another assassination at Durban's Glebelands Hostel

27 July 2017 - 10:19 By Matthew Savides
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Glebelands hostel in Umlazi. File photo.
Glebelands hostel in Umlazi. File photo.
Image: THULI DLAMINI

At 8.15pm on Wednesday night‚ gunshots echoed through the Glebelands Hostel precinct in Umlazi‚ south Durban. 

Despite 24-hour policing‚ a resident of the hostel's P Block lay in a pool of blood. A short while later‚ he died in hospital.

The latest shooting - for which no arrests have been made - follows dozens of killings at the hostel.

"We can confirm the incident that took place last night at Umlazi's Glebelands Hostel‚ about 8.15pm‚ where a 32-year-old man was shot by unknown suspects in the head‚" SAPS spokeswoman Colonel Thembeka Mbhele said.

"He was taken to hospital‚ where he succumbed to his injuries. The motive is unknown. A case of murder was opened at Umlazi police station for investigation."

Community activist Vanessa Burger - who last week testified about the volatile situation at the hostel at a sitting of the Moerane Commission into political violence in KZN - said the man‚ who has not been named‚ was on his way home when he was attacked.

"Shortly after returning home at around 8pm‚ a Glebelands Block P man was ambushed and shot several times near a small shop he operates below the building. The victim‚ in a critical condition‚ was rushed to hospital by relatives. Sadly‚ the Block P man didn't make it‚" she said.

This was the second time the man had been attacked.

"On 19 November 2015 he was shot - together with his mechanic‚ while working on his vehicle - in almost exactly the same manner at precisely the same time‚" said Burger.

According to Mbhele‚ police deployments to the hostel will continue around the clock.

"Police deployments remain in place on a 24-hour basis at the hostel. We encourage residents living in the hostel to report criminal activities to police so that we can stem this unnecessary loss of lives‚" she said.

The Moerane Commission recently heard that 89 people had died in violence at Glebelands alone since 2014‚ but no one had yet been convicted.

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