Sibonelo Zwane
Residents of Glenharvie in Westonaria shut down their area on Tuesday morning to root out zamazamas who have been accused of rising levels of crime in the area.
But when they arrived at the zamazama camp, they were met with an unpleasant surprise; their wives marched out to meet them and sent them packing!
The outraged locals, who had blocked the entrance and exit to Glenharvie with burning tyres, were sent away by the ferocious women with their tails between their legs.
“You will not enter this area, not on our watch. Our husbands have nothing to do with all the crime that’s been going on, they too are victims. The criminals you are looking for are among the men you are marching with,” said one woman.
Since the gang-rape of eight women in Krugersdorp, allegedly by zamazamas on 27 July, West Rand residents have been out on the streets daily searching for illegal miners.
Dieketseng Molefe told Scrolla.Africa that she stays with her boyfriend and has been living in the area for around three years.
“Not a week passes without us hearing gunshots, fearing that we might be next. We live next to a farm and those criminals that steal cattle also target us because we are distracting them,” she said.
She says she is conflicted because on the one hand she is sick of crime and would join in the hunt for zamazamas, but on the other hand her boyfriend is an illegal miner, and she wouldn’t turn him in.
“I cannot sit and watch my innocent boyfriend be beaten and caught by this community. I share a bed with him and he’s by my side all night. When does he get the time to go steal in people’s houses?” she asked.
On the other side of the issue is Nomsa Chauke, a frustrated resident, who said she left Soweto because of the high crime levels.
She said she didn’t expect to come across the same thing in a quiet suburb.
“When my husband bought us a house here I thought I’d have peace of mind because he’s away half of the time. However we’ve heard of hijackings, house robberies and murders that happen even in broad daylight. We need to restore the dignity of this place and we will do it ourselves since the police are fighting us instead of protecting us,” she said.
Many zamazamas managed to escape the area by running high up and over the mountains. Their temporary structures were burnt down by residents.
The community of Glenharvie want to make the search a monthly operation to secure peace in the area.
Gauteng police spokesperson Brigadier Brenda Muridili said a case docket of public violence was registered with no arrest.
“Three suspects were arrested as undocumented persons in Glenharvie, westonaria,” said Muridili.
