Enraged mobs from the Chavani and Mashamba areas near Elim burned three Zimbabwean immigrants to death after they were apprehended for allegedly stealing copper cables and solar panels last Friday (16 September). The three men were allegedly caught red-handed by the angry crowd as they were busy peeling off the plastic casings from the stolen copper cables.
The villagers said that they regularly experienced power cuts because of cable theft. According to one of the residents, who wished to remain anonymous, they were called in to a meeting at 23:00 the previous night (Thursday), in an attempt to search for the izinyoka (suspects). "They were making our lives unpleasant, so we hunted for them, but couldn't find them," he said. "We had a sleepless night out of fear that the izinyoka would steal our cables and solar panels. So, we woke each other up again early on Friday morning at around 04:00 to continue hunting them down, and at last caught them red-handed, while they were busy peeling cables they had stolen. They were all burnt beyond recognition," he said.
According to the source, members of the community have been grappling with thieves stealing their cables and solar panels for some time. "The situation is not treating us well, and when thieves steal our cables and solar panels, we are forced to stay in the dark for too long. Eskom is also battling to restore electricity to households whose cables and solar panels get stolen. Some were told to buy their own cables, which leaves us stranded as we are also facing a major issue of unemployment in this community," he said.
Despite the seriousness of the cable-theft problem, the councillor for Ward 13 at Chavani village, Mr Falaza Makhubele, advised the residents to avoid enforcing their own laws. "It is against the law for anyone to take the law into their own hands. Residents should allow the law to take its course," he said.
According to Sgt Tshifhiwa Radzilani of the Makhado police, three cases of murder have been opened and are being investigated by the Waterval SAPS. One solar panel was recovered. "No one has been arrested as of yet, and we urge anybody with information to assist. As this is not the first occurrence in the Waterval area, we also make an appeal to the community members not to take the law into their own hands," she said.