Durban - Bulls and possibly goats will be slaughtered in the Ekurhuleni Municipality when representatives of the KwaZulu-Natal government and King Goodwill Zwelithini conduct a cleansing ceremony to try to halt killings at several hostels.
Community Safety and Liaison MEC Willies Mchunu said in the legislature in Pietermaritzburg on Thursday that the date for the ceremony would depend on the king’s availability.
“To date, over 15 people have been either shot or stabbed to death. Evidence gathered points to faction fighting, as a significant number of these killings involve people of KZN as both victims and perpetrators,” said Mchunu.
Those involved in the sporadic killings, which started in June last year, were mostly from Nongoma, Hlabisa and Mtubatuba, he said. They were prompted by “criminal activities” which either started at their rural villages “or along the way to Johannesburg” or at the hostels.
He said various peace meetings, which included traditional leaders and the king, had been held at the king’s palace in Nongoma this year.
“At a meeting in March, it was resolved that a Peace Facilitation Committee should be established and populated by izindunas from affected areas. A committee of 32 members was established,” Mchunu said. The department would provide the technical expertise and resources required.
During the peace process there had been a setback when new violence claimed the lives of two people from Mtubatuba, and three from Nongoma killed at Kagiso Hostel.
Premier Senzo Mchunu had since been involved.
“A lot of progress towards stabilising the situation at the Gauteng hostels has been achieved … The reintegration process has resulted in 174 displaced individuals relocated to their original hostel rooms which they vacated during the violence conflict,” he said.
When asked if the rituals would include slaughtering of beasts, Mchunu said “most definitely”.
The Mercury