Twins’ necklacing accused fail to appear

Ashes of a burning tyre where one of the Over Loaded (OVL) members was rescued by police today from an angry community, on apparent gang-related violence in Etwatwa near Daveyton. Picture: Itumeleng English

Ashes of a burning tyre where one of the Over Loaded (OVL) members was rescued by police today from an angry community, on apparent gang-related violence in Etwatwa near Daveyton. Picture: Itumeleng English

Published Sep 23, 2015

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Johannesburg - Confusion reigned over the arrest of two men accused of necklacing twins in Etwatwa, Ekurhuleni, when the suspects failed to appear in court on Tuesday.

Police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Lungelo Dlamini said the four men who had been arrested over the weekend in connection with the violence in the township had been released.

“We are still investigating. The men were taken in for questioning and later released. None of them were connected to the case,” he said.

“The case of the two men was never put on the roll because the men, aged 53 and 19, were released after being questioned by police.”

However, Ekurhuleni metro police department spokesperson Clifford Shongwe had earlier this week said police arrested a 53-year-old man, who was believed to be the kingpin of the Overloaded (OVL) gang.

Residents have complained that gang members have been terrorising them.

On Tuesday, Gauteng Safety MEC Sizakele Nkosi-Malobane said that although no one had been arrested, they were closing in on one of the suspects.

Last week, three teenagers were killed and a fourth was critically injured in separate incidences of necklacing in the township.

At least two other boys are said to be on the run after they were targeted last week.

The violence began on September 13 after a teenager was necklaced by alleged members of the OVL gang.

It is believed that residents then retaliated and necklaced the twin boys, aged 16.

The community is also suspected of being involved in Thursday’s necklacing during which an 18-year-old suspected OVL member was critically injured.

On Tuesday, calm appeared to have been restored to the area. Residents and schoolchildren returned to their day-to-day activities.

However, the SAPS and metro police maintained a visible presence.

Mayoral spokesman Zweli Dlamini said officials would continue to negotiate and monitor the situation.

“We will not rest until the situation is completely resolved. We still have angry pockets of community members and we are extremely concerned about this, but we are talking with them,” he said.

“We are appealing to the community not to take the law into their own hands. They must have confidence in the police and respect the rule of law.”

On Monday, some of the parents whose children were killed or wounded during the violence told of their grief and fear.

Among them was Elinah Simelane. Her 25-year-old son Sfiso is in a critical condition in hospital after being attacked by members of the OVL gang.

She is afraid that her son won’t walk again.

Simelane said she had received phone calls, allegedly from members of the gang, threatening to finish Sfiso off in hospital.

Another son, Simphiwe, 20, has run away.

Mary Masilela’s son Thulani was also attacked. His girlfriend had received threatening SMSes, allegedly from the gang.

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