Desperate residents of the little Wild Coast town of Willowvale have appealed to police minister Senzo Mchunu to save them from the waves of violence and murder engulfing their area.
At least 37 people have been killed in Willowvale and surrounds in just three months, according to the crime statistics for the latest quarter, which ended in June.
The most recent killings were in October when three men were killed in the town's CBD and one woman injured.
Willowvale has been ravaged by stock theft, drug and extortion wars among gangs — and revenge attacks among families.
On Wednesday, community members wrote to Mchunu while preparing to march for peace on November 29.
Silulami Ndinisa, chair of the Willowvale March to Stop Gun Violence, said: “We, the community of Willowvale in the Eastern Cape, write to you with deep concern about the escalating violence in our area.
“Willowvale has become one of the top 30 [police] stations in SA for murder, and ranks fifth in the Eastern Cape.
“Each life lost tears at the fabric of our families and our town.
“We are organising a community march and prayer service at the Willowvale stadium to express our collective grief and call for national intervention.”
The residents said the purpose of the march was to add the community’s voice against gun-related violence.
“We acknowledge the efforts made by all government offices in the province, from the new station commander, mayor Samnkelo Janda, community safety MEC Xolile Nqatha and the premier Oscar Mabuyane," Ndinisa said.
“We are excited by the commitment demonstrated by all these offices — but the killings don’t seem to stop.
“We are worried that we are approaching the festive season and this violence now affects ordinary people who are injured by stray bullets.
“We are demanding intervention towards the silencing of guns in Willowvale.
“We call for national intervention to break the cycle of what we see as revenge killings, a war that needs to be uncovered to get the permanent peace deserved by the community of this small town.
“The impact of this violence defeats all efforts to improve our economy, and we cannot be silent.”
Ndinisa said they were engaging with all stakeholders to ensure maximum participation in the signing of a petition and the march itself.
Timothy Madikane, Willowvale Development Forum’s acting secretary, and Nkosi Luyanda Mgxwalisa said gun violence was harming development and tourism in the town and threatening jobs.
Madikane said: “Willowvale is the gateway to the coast.
“Fatal shootings are chasing away investors.
“Development has been stagnant and tourism is stifled by gun violence. We are going into the festive season, and we fear this might intensify.
“The town is under heavy attack. We do not know why there is this bloodshed, who is aggrieved by whom and why.
“Let us pardon each other — this town is too small for all this gun violence. Peace must prevail.”
Speaking on behalf of traditional leaders, Mgxwalisa said most villagers did business in the town or worked there.
“At first we thought this was taxi violence, but later we established that it is more than that.
“Now this gun violence is spreading to the [surrounding] villages — it has already affected Dadamba, Mete, Bhojini, Nxanxashe and Mboya.
*The bloody May 18 Willowvale mass shooting in which seven people — including an eight-year-old boy and three of his family members — died was a case of mistaken identity.”
In May, six Mthatha family members and a suspected gangster were killed in what was believed to be an attack because of mistaken identity, following a fierce gunfight between rival gangs.
In late October, three men were shot dead in the town’s CBD and a woman survived the attack.
There have been few arrests for the spate of killings.
Residents and families of the victims refused to speak to the media, saying they feared it would make them vulnerable to further violence.
The Mthatha family — Nkqubela September, 43, his wife, Busisiwe, 42, their sons Luyolo, 22, and Iviwe, 8, of KuNgolo, and family friends Lubabalo Khumalo Mazwana, also of Mthatha, and Xolani Klawushe Meje, 23, of KuMabala village in Willowvale, were travelling in a Mazda 3 when they were ambushed at Nxanxashe on May 18.
This was revealed in the Butterworth magistrate’s court by the police provincial organised crime investigation unit’s Colonel Willie Mayi, who is heading a 12-member task team to investigate the shooting.
Inga Sogidashe, 33, Vumile Lola, 37, Siphelele Ntshiyane, 33, and co-accused Luthando Sobonde, 25, and Gcobani Bodlwana, 26, face charges of conspiracy to commit murder, six counts of murder, one of unlawful possession of a firearm, and one of unlawful possession of ammunition.
Sogidashe, Lola and Ntshiyane — all taxi bosses in the Western Cape — were arrested in Swellendam on May 23. A bag of bullets was allegedly found in their car.
Mayi said: “Sogidashe’s group wanted to dominate and monopolise a territory which was not theirs, hence the other group was aggrieved and harassed them, but Sogidashe’s group was determined.”
Caftweni village in Willowvale has been previously dubbed the Eastern Cape “village of death” after a wave of killings there since early 2021 believed to be caused by warring family members.
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