Cape Town - EFF members and angry residents of Samora Machel and Kosovo set fire and demolished the house of a man they accused of killing his girlfriend, after the police failed to arrest him.
Ntombizandile Mdutyini, 22, who was eight months’ pregnant, was allegedly stabbed. Her body was burnt and then dumped in a bush near the Isiqalo informal settlement where it was discovered on August 25.
EFF Cape metro deputy chairperson Zimkhitha Ntsele said they were approached by the family who had been kept in the dark about the case since the discovery of her body, while the accused was roaming the streets freely. “We have demolished his structure to demonstrate that this person is not safe in the community. We want to send a strong message to the police that either he gets arrested or the community is going to deal with him. The community of Isiqalo is terrified of the accused. They claim the police are also afraid of him. They know that he is a murderer, but that is spoken about in hushed voices,” she said.
Ntsele said they would go to the police station on Wednesday to follow up on the case and to ensure that the suspect was arrested.
“It is exhausting to hear that every time there are such cases where a loved one gets brutally killed, the police are dragging their feet and always keep the families in the dark on the investigations. If we do not take things up by ourselves the justice systems will fail us every time and these families might not get closure,” she said.
Mdutyini’s sister Thandokazi Mdutyini said the family were living in fear as they were known by the suspect.
She said they were terrified that he might kill more women including her family members, if he was not arrested.
“I called the detective working on the case and was told that Samora Machel and Lansdowne Road police were looking for him. The detective told us that we must let the police do their work. However, we bump into him almost every day, enjoying his life as if he didn’t take two lives. We appeal to the government or anyone who might be able to help us ensure that justice is served,” she said.
Mdutyini said the family were struggling to bury her as they had exhausted their last cents to pay for DNA tests after the body was discovered burnt beyond recognition.
Police spokesperson Noloyiso Rwexana confirmed that a case of murder was under investigation with no arrests as yet.
EFF members and angry residents of Samora Machel and Kosovo burning down a house believed to be that of a man accused of allegedly killing Ntombizandile Mdutyini.
Cape Argus