Story audio is generated using AI
Fear is rippling through Port St Johns’ Majola community again following movie-like scenes that saw police pursuing and exchanging fire with one of their own, a young police constable who earlier allegedly opened fire at the police station and wounded his acting station commander.
Members of the violence-ravaged tea plantation community, 60km from Port St Johns, said they had to dodge bullets and lock their families inside their houses, thinking it was the revival of fluctuating local violence which has, since the 1960s, cost scores of lives and left hundreds of houses torched.
The 24-year-old constable allegedly opened fire inside the Majola police station on Monday.
According to Eastern Cape police spokesperson Brigadier Nobuntu Gantana on Tuesday, the incident followed a weekend of violent incidents allegedly linked to the constable.
“The constable allegedly stabbed two different men during separate quarrels, forcibly took two private vehicles (one was crashed, the other rolled into water), and fled both scenes. No cases were reported at the time.”
On Monday, two victims came to the station to discuss compensation for damages.
Police say the meeting turned violent when the constable forced open a colleague’s safe, took her firearm, and fired at station management and the complainants.
“The acting station commander was shot below the left arm and is in a stable condition.
“A shootout with other members of the police followed. The suspect fled into bushes, but was later arrested,” Gantana said.
The constable now faces four counts of attempted murder, theft of a firearm, unlawful possession of a firearm, and charges related to the weekend’s stabbings and vehicle thefts.
He is expected to appear in the Port St Johns Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday.
Eastern Cape provincial commissioner Lieutenant-General Vuyisile Ncata said no officer was above the law.
“Any member who breaks the law will be arrested and face justice like any other suspect. No leniency.”
In the same community, a 70-year-old woman, Nolindela Nyama, was shot dead on Saturday night.
Majola has long been described by authorities as a “violence-hit” area, where residents have even fled into the bush to escape attacks.
Former police minister Bheki Cele in 2023 acknowledged the scale of the problem, saying: “Majola village cannot be a ‘ghost town’ where villagers are terrorised by thugs and fear for their lives to such an extent that they opt to live in bushes rather than in their own homes. We will put an end to this.”
In response then, police deployed tactical response teams and the National Intervention Unit to the area, backed by additional detectives to pursue those responsible.
A police station was built about three years ago, which brought relief to the community.
On Tuesday, residents and community leaders, including traditional leader Nkosazana Meje and ward councillor Bulelwa Mjakuja, said the community was still recovering from years of violence.
Mjakuja added: “Now we do not trust anyone, even if they introduce themselves as police.
“When the police were deployed in Majola and the police station was built, we were relieved and believed that we were eventually safe and protected.
“But this weekend community members again found themselves ducking bullets and locking themselves inside their homes to avoid being hit in the crossfire.
“Only to realise later that the police were actually chasing one of their own.”
Meje said: “We thank God there were no children around.
“But this incident has left us all terrified again and we are afraid of going anywhere near the police station.
“We pray for the speedy recovery of the injured police officer.”
She said the community was planning a meeting with the local police management over the matter.
Community leaders say restoring stability will require both stronger policing and sustained community engagement.
“Rebuilding trust between residents and police is critical if Majola is to break the cycle of violence.
“If police officers can shoot one another inside a police station, how can the safety of the community be guaranteed,” Mjakuja said.
Daily Dispatch