Police to deploy special team of detectives to Harding amid recent spike in crime

A special team of detectives will be deployed in Harding, on the South Coast of KwaZulu-Natal, following the recent spike in crime in the area.

The announcement was made by Police Minister Bheki Cele who was speaking at a Ministerial Crime Prevention Imbizo. The area has been beset by organized crime in recent months, with many cases still unresolved.

Harding, a relatively peaceful area has been marred by violent crime in recent months. For one resident Slindile Sincuba, the increase in crime has cost her family dearly. She lost her husband and her two children in June, when unknown assailants opened fire on the taxi they were travelling in, returning from church.

Her other two children’s lives were spared but they are still traumatised. Since the shooting, no one has been arrested for the brutal murders. Sincuba says 18 AK- 47 cartridges were found on the scene.

Harding resident Slindile Sincuba recounts, “The perpetrators killed my husband and my two children. The other two are still traumatised about the incident.”

Another resident, Thandi Mbuthuma lost her 37-year-old son last month. Gqama Mbuthuma was also killed when he came under attack in town.

“My son was killed in broad daylight yet no one has been arrested. We know who killed him and they’re working in cahoots with the police.”

The community raised their concerns with Minister Bheki Cele at the Crime Imbizo. They say crime has increased, mainly due to the poor response time by SAPS at the local police station.

Cele was also informed that the local Magistrate’s Court had allegedly released 108 suspects on bail. Seven of whom were suspected of murder and 20 of rape. Cele gave an undertaking to the community that detectives from the national task team would be deployed to investigate and solve crimes.

“That police are not responding to their cries. We will be talking to the national commissioner that they increase the budget so that we will have a special team of detectives that will have to come here and be able to deal with those outstanding cases and that will help collect people identified by the special team and to have a secretariat to be based at the station to find out why people are complaining so much about this station,” says Police minister.

Community members in the area say gender-based violence continues unabated. Allegations also surfaced that some families of young women who were abused were silenced and paid with livestock as compensation for the assaults.

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