By Songeziwe Mapukata
A raging war that has been ongoing between neighbouring Eastern Cape villages kuBhuje and Majola erupted into chaos when nearly 50 homes were torched on Sunday.
One person was shot dead in the mayhem, an elderly man whose body was discovered by his young daughter.
Bad blood between residents of the two villages has been going on for so long, most people don’t even know what started it.
Every fresh attack triggers a retaliation a few months later and the conflict continues.
The last sporadic act of violence in that same area was on 19 September 2022.
But many residents had learnt how to avoid the perils of the conflict long before then, in 2021, and several escaped the flames as they had already retreated into the bushes at nightfall.
“When the war came to us that year we saw three people’s homes burn to the ground on the same day and we were sleeping in the forest with other relatives in the family under the trees”, said resident Nofikile Mteti.
Mteti, 42, spoke to Scrolla.Africa and recalled her husband’s last words when gunmen approached and shot him dead in the attack on Sunday morning.
“He was shot just below our kraal. There were three gunshots at first and then five more gunshots later. The last thing I heard from his voice was his plea for help.
“When I went to check and found his body, he was lying on the floor facedown and must have been shot from the back. My 11-year-old daughter found him first and said ‘Mama look at dad,’ she said,”
The police have confirmed the shooting of the elderly man at Tyeni village.
Police have gone to the affected areas to beef up security, according to Eastern Cape Spokesperson Brigadier Tembinkosi Kinana.
“We have interacted with the local leadership to reach out to other various departments so they can aid with shelter and food,” the police said.
Kinana added that suspects relating to the arson attacks and those linked to the murder of a man still remain at large.
Cases of Arson, Murder and Malicious Injury to Property have been opened for investigation.
Pictured above: Villagers gather while houses burn in the background
Image source: Supplied
