​Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi, along with members of his Executive Council and Executive Mayor of the City of Tshwane, Nasiphi Moya, joined the community of the Marry Me informal settlement in mourning the death of six community patrollers at an open sport field in the area on Wednesday.
According to residents, they heard people screaming between 10 PM and midnight on Friday. Scared to venture out to investigate, they called the police.
The screams were followed by a series of gunshots fired in quick succession, they said. It was only in the morning that residents learned the severity of the incident. Members of a group that usually patrols the area had been severely beaten with sticks, stoned, and later set on fire.
The pain of loss hung heavy over the memorial service, where bereaved families, politicians, and community members gathered to honor the six victims, who were part of a group that patrolled the area. Grieving families broke down as various artists sang gospel melodies.
Fifty-seven-year-old Elizabeth Hlabane, the sister of one of the community patrollers who was brutally murdered along with five others, received the news in the morning from neighbours that her brother was lying dead on the side of the road.
According to Hlabane, her unemployed younger brother, Andries Hlabane (44), was working as a volunteer for the community when he met his untimely death.
"I do not know if they burned his hands before he died or what, but my brother has suffered a lot. What did he do to deserve such punishment, and now his children will grow up without a father? His lifeless body was not even covered when we arrived; instead, they covered him when more people started to arrive. It seems like he was assaulted before because even his face did not look good at all," she says.
"It is now my responsibility to ensure that I give him a decent funeral service, which will take place in my home since he was staying alone in a shack in 'Marry Me.'
Our parents are both deceased, and his children will be coming from Limpopo to bury their father," added Hlabane.
The murders have brought a sharp focus on crime in the area, as well as the existence of alleged extortion groups in the informal settlement. Lesufi told residents that he had promised them swift justice and was proud that he had kept his promise.
Speaking during the memorial service for the victims, he said three suspects had been arrested and that two had already confessed. Lesufi added that they had identified a pawn shop where stolen electrical appliances were sold after being taken from the community of Marry Me.