A community patroller in Diepkloof, Soweto, was gunned down in his home on Tuesday morning.
Elifas Malusi Rathebe, known as 'Mdululu', was 64 years old and an active community policing forum (CPF) member. He joined the patrolling programme in 2022 as part of the neighbourhood watch before becoming a full-time CPF member in 2023.
According to Zukile Memela, secretary of sector one and a CPF member at Diepkloof police station, the incident occurred at about 1am.
Rathebe's niece, Kedibone, who lives at the same home in Diepkloof, recounted the terrifying moments leading up to his death.
“It was Tuesday morning around 1am when four men broke down the door while we were sleeping. I was with the kids. They started shooting inside the house and screamed at us to hand over our phones.” Kedibone said.
“My uncle was in the next room. He heard us screaming and came out to help. He asked them what they were doing, and that's when they ran towards him and shot him. One bullet missed but the second one hit him.”
She said the family is still traumatised and they could not go back to sleep that night.
“We don't know who these people are or why they killed my uncle, a man who dedicated himself to protecting this community. We are asking anyone who knows something to please help us find the people who murdered him so brutally,” said Kedibone.
CPF members say the attack has highlighted growing fears that patrollers are being targeted.
Another patroller who asked not to be named fearing for his life said he had been warned recently by a community member to “watch out, they're coming for us one by one”.
Memela said the patrolling system in Diepkloof is crumbling due to neglect from all levels of leadership.
“There are no patrol vehicles from SAPS, no proper uniforms from community safety and no training. Even the CPF's own structures are failing. The community itself doesn't fully appreciate the work done by patrollers, only a few genuinely concerned residents offer us support.” Memela said.
He added that security co-ordination is mostly reactive and disjointed. “In most cases, meetings only happen after a tragedy strikes. Forums are non-existent.”
Despite the lack of support, he said patrollers continue to consult with one another to identify where crime is affecting residents. “The environment we live in has normalised crime. That's why we patrol, even without resources.”
As Rathebe's family mourns, they, along with the CPF, hope his death won't be in vain and that it will spark urgent intervention from authorities and the community he died protecting.
The case is under investigation and no arrests have been made.
TimesLIVE
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