Durban - Armed with only hope and a prayer, the greater Greytown community is desperately trying to escape a legacy of violence that has haunted it for the better part of 70 years.
At the forefront of this battle is nonagenarian Chief Simakade Mchunu, who has been trying to quell the violence ever since he became chief in the mid-1940s.
Since joining the Nazareth Baptist Church (Shembes) in 1950, he has tried to use his faith as an instrument of peace.
Even though he has become frail due to his advanced years, he still attends “court” to oversee matters that are brought before him. One issue he is trying to resolve at the moment is a long-standing dispute between two factions in the area.
The National Intervention Unit recently found several illegal weapons caches near the home of one of the factions.
The haul included 24 firearms, 20 of them unlicensed, including AK47s, .303 rifles, R1 rifles and 9mm pistols.
Mchunu said the conflict between the Danisa and Zulu families had claimed two lives so far this year.
Acting as a peacemaker, he has spoken to the families, listening to both sides in a bid to ease tensions between the families.
“I asked for all the parties to gather for a prayer, but only a few came.”
Mchunu’s son, Ngangendlovu, said they tried to ask the feuding parties what the cause of the conflict was, but could not get to the bottom of it, as there were many vague accusations made by both sides.
Mchunu, jr, said this was one of the motivating reasons why they wanted the police to investigate.
The chief attributes the subsequent calm to the prayers that have been said.
Shortly after the meeting, however, following police investigations, some people were arrested for the attack on the Danisa family.
The Danisa-Zulu feud is one of many that have plagued the area even before Mchunu became chief.
He recalled how some of the first conflicts started at a local tavern. “People would disrespect each other and fight. They would then call their neighbours to join in and this is how the fights would escalate,” he said.
“As soon as one faction fight was resolved, another one would arise. Some fights would start in Johannesburg and spread here.”
Although he would always try to help resolve the issues between the two factions, he emphasised that his main aim was the development of the area
He believes that the only hope of moving forward was through development.
“Some people have electricity, and some don’t,” he said, adding that even his own home did not have electricity.
While there has been some development, much more needed to be done.
Nkosinathi Mncwabe is the councillor in ward 8, where the guns were recently found, and where some of those who were arrested live.
A meeting was going to be held with the chief on Wednesday to try to get to the bottom of the troubles, he said. People had grown weary of the conflicts, he added.
Mncwabe has been helping people get their identity documents at a mobile Home Affairs office.
It is through the community meetings that people had now developed respect for each other, he said.
“People have started to communicate, to know each other, and that is what helped them to start respecting each other,” Mncwabe said.
Like Chief Mchunu, he believes the feud only affects a small part of the community.
“The future of this place lies with the young children,” Mncwabe said.
Children often have to walk long distances to school, and by the time they reached home, they were too tired to study.
“Development is not just water and housing only; schools are important too. People are looking for progress,” he said.
“In 10 years, I would like this place to be like other places where there is a shopping mall,” he said.
One man trying to create a future for his 13 children is Bonginkosi Ziqubu, who says that faction fighting is holding back the community.
“We are only focused on improving the community. We have buried the fighting issue,” he said.
KZN violence monitor, Mary de Haas, said: “My impression is that the fighting has decreased.”
The area had a long history of having guns, she said. It had a legacy of poor law enforcement and fighting had become a way of life.
One reason for such a legacy was the lack of development. It was one of the poorest areas in the province. Apartheid also played a role, as when people were relocated there, squabbles arose over land issues.
Daily News