*Story has been updated
DURBAN - POLICE arrested two people impersonating military authorities at the funeral of Durban’s alleged hijacking kingpin, Sandile “Chillies” Bhengu.
Police spokesperson Colonel Thembeka Mbhele said the two were spotted in uMlazi near a community hall where the funeral was taking place. They were wearing SANDF and Navy uniforms.
"It was discovered that they do not work for either law enforcement agencies," said Mbhele.
They were expected to appear in the uMlazi Magistrate’s Court on Monday.
At Bhengu’s uMlazi funeral, helicopters circled the area where the funeral service for the 36-year-old took place. Motorcycle riders escorted his body to the cemetery, while young men and women danced outside the community hall. The funeral was attended by hundreds of people.
WATCH: Booze, dance and roaring engines at Chillies funeral
Video: Sunday Tribune
Police searched their bags for weapons and staged roadblocks.
On Friday night, several cars were stolen in neighbouring Chatsworth and burnt in uMlazi, allegedly in his honour. One was burnt at the spot in uMlazi’s B section where the alleged kingpin was shot at the end of August.
On social media many celebrated Bhengu, but this has opened up wounds for many who have been victims of crime. Victims said people like Bhengu terrorised the community.
Sandile 'Chillies' Bhengu
One 32-year-old Bluff woman who was hijacked on her way home three months ago, was angered by people on social media who appeared to be in awe of Bhengu.
“People talk nonsense and say he was not brutal. They don’t know how brutal the trauma is that you go through after the hijacking. It changes your life in a bad way – you are always suspicious, always scared, always anxious.
“I had an incident after my hijacking because I thought I was being hijacked again, I could have died. People who have never gone through this would go and celebrate until they lose one of their own,” said the woman.
READ: Chillies friends want probe into his death
Another 28-year-old woman from Newlands, who was hijacked in January, said the incident robbed her of her freedom.
“These people take more than your car, they take your freedom. I am quite frankly disgusted at the glorification of a low-life criminal. Those who celebrated, I say spare a minute for those who lost lives, relatives, their freedom, because of crime,” she said.
Another woman on social media claimed that Bhengu had killed her father in 2014.
“He shot and killed my dad in front of us… and took off with our car leaving us in the middle of nowhere with my dad’s dead body. We begged him to take the car and spare my dad’s life. Today we have no father because of him.”
Attempts to contact the woman were unsuccessful.
A Chillies fan had a message for the police. Picture: Sibusiso Ndlovu/ANA Pictures
At the funeral service, one man held up a placard which read: “They killed our friend and now they are here to witness their brutality, shame on you cops.”
WATCH: Chillies friends rev it up for him one last time
Police presence was heavy in uMlazi during the week and deployed officers kept a watchful eye at the funeral and at various spots in the township.
Bhengu was killed in a shoot-out with police on August 30 after he was allegedly caught removing a tracking device from a stolen vehicle in uMlazi.
The car had been stolen in Chatsworth, police said.
READ: Police arrest alleged cash-in-transit robber at Chillies memorial
Police Minister Fikile Mbalula issued a stern warning in the lead-up to Bhengu’s funeral, assuring residents that threats made to commit crime such as carjacking and killing of police officials to glorify thuggery would not be tolerated.