‘Corrupt cops working with drug dealers’

Ask AI 4minBodies of the mass shooting victims were laid outside the house where they were killed on Tuesday night.

As police confirm that a 12th person has died following a suspected drug related massacre in Ziko outside KwaMakhutha this week, the head of the local Community Police Forum (CPF) has told the forum is actively trying to root out corrupt officers collaborating with drug dealers. 

KwaMakhutha chairperson Mthobisi Mbutho expressed dissatisfaction with the performance of some of the local police in the area saying they are lazy or collaborating with drug dealers.

He believed the massacre stemmed from a drug turf war.

The deceased were among 13 men and a woman, believed to be pregnant, who were having drinks at the Zulu family homestead when unknown gunmen entered at around 10pm on Tuesday and sprayed the home with bullets. Eleven people died at the scene, and three were taken to hospital. 

Another victim died on Friday morning in hospital.

Among the victims are brothers Mlungisi Zulu, 35, and Scelo Zulu, 31, and their two neighbours, Ayanda Shange, 26, and Mbuso Mdluli, 46. Family members released the identities of the four victims when the Sunday Tribune visited this week. They denied the victims had any involvement in the drug business. 

According to provincial police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda, the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) prevents police from releasing names of victims without their next of kin’s consent.

He also said no arrests had been made and the investigation continues.

Both Netshiunda and Mbutho confirmed that another victim died on Friday.  

The body of one of the mass shooting victims in Ziko outside KwaMakhutha is loaded into mortuary van.

Following the incident KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thami Ntulu visited the area and requested community leaders to arrange an imbizo in which he would discuss drugs with the community. 

Mbutho said the CPF would meet on Tuesday to find a suitable date for the imbizo. 

Mbutho is among community members who alleged that some of the deceased were involved in selling drugs, which has increased petty crime in the area. 

Mbutho said that while the majority of the officers have shown commitment to shutting down the drug trade, he alleged that others are working with criminals and refusing to co-operate with the CPF.

“I can assure you that half of the police officers work well with the CPF, while 40% completely reject the CPF because it is against their interest. There are many officers at KwaMakhutha who are not committed to their duties.”

Mbutho, who became the chairperson in March 2024, is currently working to remove corrupt officers from the station. “Since we started our term, lots of police were removed after we lodged complaints against them. We have information that some of them are involved in drug dealings,” he said. 

Netshiunda did not respond to Mbutho’s allegations against some of the station’s officers. 

“The CPF works with police, and if there are any issues, the CPF should know that there are internal processes that need to be followed to address matters,” said Netshiunda.

Mbuso Ndlela, who was among 12 people killed in the south of Durban killed early this week

Mbutho said this drug-related murder is the second one in the KwaMakhutha policing area.

“Two years ago, six drug addicts were killed in the Emsaklweni area of KwaMakhutha.

“We are aware that among those killed this week, two were referred to as bosses who sold drugs but did not consume them,” said Mbutho. 

When this reporter visited the area, some locals pointed to a blue house they claimed was used to sell whoonga, which is heroin, and Mbutho confirmed this information.

“There are a lot of these houses where drugs are sold, and even the police know them,” he said.

Mbutho said the drug trade is strong in the Ziko area because police, including those from the province, always find drugs when they conduct search operations. 

“Police arrest and confiscate drugs, which are now piling up at the police station, but the suspects get released. You arrest them today and tomorrow they are back despite being caught in possession of drugs,” he said. 

The chair of the Amanzimtoti CFP Merlene Matthew said the drug trade issue in KwaMakhutha has increased petty crime in the Amanzimtoti area, as addicts break into properties to steal anything they can sell to fund their habit. 

“In my area there is drug trade, but it is not as bad as in KwaMakhutha. The drug problem there directly affects our area because drug addicts steal our copper pipes, water meters and parts of air conditioners and gate motors to sell and buy the whoonga,” said Matthew. 

She said Amanzimtoti and KwaMakhutha CPFs hold regular meetings to find solutions to the problem. 

“Scrap yards and drug dealers are a problem, and drug addicts are at the bottom of the barrel,” she said. 

She said working with communities to identify drug leaders remains a problem because people do not participate as they are afraid of being killed.

“If community members of KwaMakhutha give information, they become targets,” she said. “They don’t know which police officer to trust.”

Crime expert Professor Johan Burger is concerned that South Africa might be taking the direction of South American countries where drugs and gang-related murders are rife.   

“Organised crime has progressively escalated, but one would not want to compare us to some of the South American states where crime syndicates in many ways control those countries, but there are these worrying signs that we are approaching a similar situation,” said Burger.

He attributed the high rate of crime to the weakened police service, as highlighted in the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry. 

“I think we are in serious trouble,” said Burger.

University of KwaZulu-Natal criminologist Nirmala Gopal said, “We cannot continue to stand by as these tragedies unfold; it’s time to confront this growing epidemic head-on,” she said.