EDITORIAL | Soshanguve massacre: crime spirals as patrollers pay with their lives

Another senseless slaughter, a batch of names added to the list of South Africans paying the ultimate price for the level of crime taking over communities. In a case of unchecked brutality, on Saturday the community of Marry Me informal settlement in Soshanguve woke up to discover that four of their patrollers had been shot dead, some partially burnt, while others were injured. The death toll has since risen to six.

Gauteng police spokesperson Brig Brenda Muridili said the group was on patrol duty when they identified five people on the street. When they approached them to investigate, a fight and shooting ensued. The motive has not yet been established.

On Tuesday, police minister Senzo Mchunu said a suspect was arrested and two others were being questioned about the murders. Earlier this week, he condemned the attack, but words cannot bring back the dead, nor will they provide the community with the protection they need — action will. His words, though well-meaning, will not prevent the next massacre, as this is not an isolated incident.

The years of systematic neglect cannot be undone in a day, but a situation such as this should be a wake-up call

If communities have to take matters of their safety into their own hands, something in the system is broken. They are left to fend for themselves as they feel abandoned. The police force remains underfunded, understaffed and under-capacitated, to a point where we hear of stories where they cower when they encounter criminals, such as in the case of the Sandton restaurant attack during which a businessman died weeks ago. Chaos becomes inevitable when desperate people have to do the job government is failing to do.

Organised and trusted by the community they serve, patrol groups were once a symbol of resilience and order. However, through incidents such as this, they are reduced to enforcers in a brutal game of survival. Who will have the courage to be a night man when the job comes with bloodshed? What hope is left for the people?

This is not an anomaly, but a warning that crime is out of control, something that we all know, including the government. The cycle of revenge killings, petty crimes, violent crimes and mob justice in townships is unchecked, leaving the vulnerable desperate. It has become a norm that the police force plays a reactive role at best, after the blood has dried and suspects are at large.

The years of systematic neglect cannot be undone in a day, but a situation such as this should be a wake-up call.

It is unacceptable that people live in fear in their homes. Safety is not an event but a series of actions that layer with time. There is a need for a fundamental restructuring of the law enforcement sector, empowerment of community safety groups and a culture of monitoring and not just reacting to crime scenes.

We need to ask ourselves: how many lives must be lost before the story changes?

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