- KwaZulu-Natal's top cop says there will be large-scale "disruptions" as police crack down on crime in the Plessislaer police precinct.
- Several people have been shot and killed in the area in just one month.
- The most recent victim was shot dead late last month.
KwaZulu-Natal police commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi has called on residents in the Plessislaer police precinct to brace themselves for an overhaul in which crime will be tackled in the troubled area.
"We want criminals in the area to feel our presence, and the community must expect large-scale disruptions on certain days as we lock down specific areas that are troublesome," he said in a statement on Friday.
"We are also going to be rolling out such interventions in other challenging crime hotspots within the province in the days ahead. It is important that we approach our crime-combatting operations in a concerted manner to ensure that we are more effective," Mkhwanazi said.
Mkhwanazi said his first order of business after his recent appointment would be to turn around the Umgungundlovu district.
"The Plessislaer police precinct, which features one of the most troublesome areas in the province, as well as the country, will be receiving focused attention. The Imbali area within Plessislaer will be getting the majority of the additional police deployments that the provincial commissioner has mustered," police spokesperson Brigadier Jay Naicker said.
Mkhwanazi met with police leadership in the Umgungundlovu district on Thursday at the Plessislaer police station to understand the crime challenges and the difficulties police officers encountered on the ground.
"During the session, the provincial commissioner marshalled a large contingent of police officers that will be focusing on the rollout of dedicated operations in the days ahead.
"A plan was put in place, which will be monitored on a daily basis by [Mkhwanazi's] office. Weekly evaluation sessions to assess the effectiveness of the operations and to plan for the weeks ahead are part of the package," Naicker added.
There have been several shootings in the area since late last year.
The Witness reported that Ayanda Ngubane, 31, was shot on Monday night while sitting on the side of Mbabala Road in Imbali Unit 2 with his three friends. It is alleged that a man walked toward the group and started shooting at Ngubane.
He sustained multiple gunshot wounds and was rushed to Edendale Hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival. The motive for the attack is still unclear.
This brings to six the number of people who were shot in Imbali since the beginning of March. There have been no arrests in all six cases and the gunmen remain unknown.
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