The community of Jimmy Jones outside Malamulele is heaving a sigh of relief, following the arrest of three alleged thugs. For some time now, the once peaceful village has been the target of criminals who wreak havoc, committing crimes such as housebreaking, murder, and car theft, among others. The reign of terror apparently came to an abrupt end when the community, fed up with being held hostage by the criminals, decided to act.
On Sunday, 18 February, angry community members launched a special operation with the assistance of the local CPF and members of the police. The hideouts of suspects were visited at the end of the operation, and three alleged notorious gang members were arrested.
The three suspects, Thembani Manganyi (26), Xitsatsi Xivase (22), and Richard Mashele, appeared in the Malamulele Magistrate's Court on Wednesday, 21 February, facing charges of, among others, murder, housebreaking, and car theft. Two of the suspects, Manganyi and Xivase, appeared in court again on Tuesday, 27 February, and Manganyi was granted bail of R500. Xivase decided not to ask for bail, saying he did not want to go back to the community. The third accused, Mashele, was scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday, 28 February, on a separate charge.
Jimmy Jones CPF chairperson Mr Dunani Baloyi said residents had suffered a lot during the reign of terror by the alleged thugs. "For a long time, we have had no peace here. We have been subjected to a reign of terror where these boys did as they wished, terrorising the community. We are happy that they are now behind bars and we can have peace again," he said. Baloyi further indicated that the community was in court in their numbers to plead with the court not to grant them bail.