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A refugee illegally crosses the border.
Cross border crime syndicates are becoming more brazen and ruthless in their attacks on people living in far northern KwaZulu-Natal. For years, government has tried to curb criminal syndicates from Mozambique, who are attacking residents of the Umkhanyakude district.
People in this part of the province are calling on the South African and Mozambican governments to tackle the problem together.
Anti-crime organisations in the Umkhanyakhude district say these syndicates are well-organised. They watch their victims for days, and pounce when residents least expect it.
From victims’ accounts of their harrowing experiences, it’s clear that the attacks follow the same pattern
What happened to Thami Gcabashe (a fake name that’s being used for fear of his safety) is the story of many other victims. The armed robbers broke into his home after midnight. After ransacking his home, they tied him, his wife and young children up and forced into the back of his vehicle.
Gcabashe says the robbers then drove with them for hours, before dumping them at the Mozambican border.
“When they were inside the house they destroyed my house forcefully and they were four. They told us that they were here to take the Fortuner. There was also a single cab Hilux outside the garage and they told us that there are interested in a Fortuner. They took us, me and my family, to the back of the Fortuner and drove with us to the border, but using the route to Makhonyeni and Mamfene,” says Gcabashe.
Gcabashe says the incident left his children traumatised.
“Trauma starts when you realise that they were people who were inside your house without your permission. We are disturbed by this situation and it is even difficult to sleep at night. My children are too young, but to go through such difficult time, and an incident they never experienced in their lives!,” says Gcabashe.
Sipho Mathe and his family shared the same fate.
“This is not life, we cant live like this. These gangs take everything from you. We feel the government has turned their back on us,” adds Gcabashe.
Residents say collective efforts are needed to stamp out the scourge.
Jozini Anti Car Theft Organisation founder, Fana Ngubane, says both governments must engage each other and find a common solution.
“If the South African govt can engage the Mozambican government, I think they can come up with the solution. Right now, they are busy with jersey barriers. They take long time,” says Ngubane.
Residents say the South African government has made commitments on several occasions, which remain unfulfilled.
