Police make arrests at violence-riddled Glebelands Hostel

Police on Thursday arrested a man believed to have been behind the murder of a woman at the notorious Glebelands Hostel a month ago.

Police on Thursday arrested a man believed to have been behind the murder of a woman at the notorious Glebelands Hostel a month ago.

Sbongile Mtshali was gunned down inside her tuck shop on July 26 by men pretending to be customers. The 52-year-old was hit in the head and chest‚ and died on the spot. She died in front of her teenage grandchild.

In less than three years‚ 93 people have been killed in violence at or linked to the hostel precinct. The most recent was on Tuesday night.

But police claimed a victory in Mtshali's case.

"In the early hours of this morning‚ members of the Organised Crime Task Team‚ Public Order Police‚ Metro Police and other role players conducted an intelligence-driven operation at Glebelands looking for suspects involved in murders at the hostel‚" said spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Thulani Zwane said.

"The team located and arrested a 31-year-old suspect who was wanted for the murder of Sbongile Mtshali."

He added that the man will also be questioned about his possible involvement in other murders and attempted murders at the violence-riddled hostel precinct.

In another operation‚ police on Wednesday arrested a 36-year-old man for possession of an unlicensed firearm at Glebelands.

"Officers were conducting crime prevention duties at the hostel and following up on a murder where a 38-year-old man was shot and killed at the hostel on Tuesday night. Police stopped a taxi that was at the Glebelands hostel and searched the occupants. Upon searching the occupants one of the passengers was found in possession of an unlicensed pistol‚" said Zwane.

"The recovered firearm will be subjected to a ballistics analysis to ascertain if it was used in murders committed at hostel or any other case in the country."