Crime statistics for 2016/17 revealed a shocking fact about the impoverished community of Ivory Park - that it is Gauteng's murder capital. Over the year, 120 people were murdered.
This grim state of affairs was again highlighted last month when a Johannesburg metro police department officer was shot dead during an armed robbery. A week earlier, an 88-year-old woman was found dead after allegedly being strangled.
However, just over a year ago four men decided to do their bit to tackle the scourge head on, even if it meant putting their lives on the line.
Every day, Vusi Mathebula, together with colleagues Johannes Sibetha, William Maake and Johannes Madigoe, patrols the township’s Mzondi Informal Settlement.
Sector Four (Mzondi) was formed after people living in the 400 shacks complained they were being robbed and attacked daily.
“We formed this from the ground, because there were too many issues here,” said Mathebula, Sector Four's commander. He said there was initial scepticism, with some community members worried that the project would attract more criminal elements.
“We wanted to prove them wrong. We are residents here and we want to live in a safe area. Previously, crime was very high in this place. Everyday something was happening. “Rapes, murders, house-breakings, muggings and robberies were being constantly reported,” he said.
The night patrols start at midnight until 5am. On Fridays, the night shift begins at 6pm. During the day they conduct stops and searches.
During The Star’s visit, one person was arrested for being in possession of dagga. “We escort people who call us to do so if they get off taxis late and are fearful of walking alone,” Mathebula says. “Our biggest challenge is that we don’t have working tools. We just have batons and handcuffs that were donated to us,” he said.
On average they arrest nine people for a range of crimes. “The last people were arrested about three days ago. They were in possession of a stolen car battery and cables. They stole this stuff from an abandoned stolen vehicle, we later learnt. They were trying to sell the stuff when we received a tip off. We found them, but when we questioned them they couldn’t explain why they had the goods. We called the police to come and arrest them,” said Sibetha.
Up the road is the infamous Swazi Inn. This section of the township is characterised by uncontrolled and chaotic traffic congestion and a maze of shacks.
“There’s a big problem there. A lot of young boys gather there and rob people. They carry an iron pipe in theirs arms and strangle people with it in broad daylight. And people don’t even intervene. It’s really bad,” said Mathebula.
The state of affairs in the area was one of the reasons the four embarked on their dangerous path. “We decided to make a sacrifice with our lives and help the community where we could. Two weeks ago, around 11.30pm, we approached three guys with the intention of searching them. One of them drew a gun, but because we are prepared to die doing this, we stood our ground and they eventually ran away,” he said.
“We are used to such situations. You’d see someone being robbed and people don’t do anything. It can’t be right.” They said even though their relationship with the local police was good, they were concerned about the conviction rate.
He said when a suspect gets arrested, a sector manager is contacted. They then go to the police station together with the apprehended suspect. “We then give a statement at the station. We follow-up on that case until there's finality,” said Maake.
“Police sometimes do fail us. Call them, they arrest the suspect, but they later release them. When we make the arrest, we are contributing to crime reduction. When they release that person, that very same person comes back and does exactly what he was arrested for. We have people we have arrested more than once for the same offence,” he said.
These issues were raised through the relevant structures, they said, and also described how fear used to grip the area. “People used to fear this path, but things have since changed a bit,” Mathebula said, referring to a 500m path from the informal settlement’s taxi rank to nearby Tembisa through Mzondi. “This route is shorter. The community used to take the longer route when crime was rife here that has all changed,” he said.
"There are 400 shacks, but it's not known just how many people lived in the settlement. There’s also a curfew. At certain time we no longer want to see anyone roaming. It makes our job easier and the community knows this,” added Maake
More community members had been invited to join the group, with much reluctance. “They are fearful, due to the dangers associated with it (patrolling). For us, it doesn’t matter. You can’t predict life, you can die at any moment - whether you’re afraid or not, it will happen. But you can’t just stand and let a situation deteriorate when you can do something,” Mathebula says.
Each family in the informal settlement is expected to contribute R50 a month towards the project, although this was not always possible.
“On average, we get about R9000 and split it among the four of us. We are unemployed, so this is our work. This is our life,” Mathebula added.