Cape Town - The community adores him, but the police want him behind bars. Police in the Western Cape are looking for alleged criminal Yanga Nyalara, famously known in Khayelitsha Site C as Bara.
He is wanted in connection with a string of crimes committed around Khayelitsha, Cape Town and the Eastern Cape.
“Nyalara’s crime spree started in Cape Town in 2016, where he was involved in a business robbery,” said police spokesperson Colonel Andrè Traut.
“(He) is wanted on charges of murder, attempted murder, assault and possession of an unlicensed firearm, which were committed between 2018 and 2022 in Khayelitsha. Nyalara is also sought for a cash-in-transit robbery perpetrated in Libode in the Eastern Cape during 2018.”
Traut said warrants for his arrest have been issued and Lieutenant-Colonel Victor Norman Galant (082 469 1539) and Detective Sergeant Shaun Fortuin (067 928 9687) are eager to make contact with anyone who can shed light on Nyalara’s whereabouts.
“There is a possibility that he could also be in the Eastern Cape or other parts of the country. He is considered armed and dangerous and should not be approached.”
Last month, the Weekend Argus revealed that Bara might allegedly be a hard-core criminal, but his community adores him and prefers him to the police to solve their crimes. Using his alleged criminal connections, Bara has been able to retrieve stolen items and hijacked cars and solve community disputes in a matter of days. He can allegedly tell criminals to stop bothering certain homes and individuals, something the police struggle with.
The Site C community made their local Robin Hood Bara furious when they marched against gender-based violence last month. Their memorandum included extortion of Somalian shops. Upon reading the memorandum which included his “dealings”, Bara was furious.
“You are ungrateful,” he said in voice audio sent to the community group. “I do not sleep going up and down creating new enemies, breaking and strangling people’s children for you. Now you hold a march, you complained about GBV and crime, which is okay. Now you get involved in our dealings and the Somalians. That does not involve you.”
He said he would no longer solve their cases and recover their stolen goods. The community trusted Bara to the point where he opened his home, where they could report cases. A person would leave their contact details and he would follow up on the matter.
“No one robs me. I do not have a girlfriend or a relative that gets robbed. I was doing all this for you. The next thing you guys go and sign memorandums and hand them over to the police, disturbing my dealings that do not involve you.”
After Bara threatened to stop assisting the residents, word went out and another march was held that saw scores of people singing Bara’s praises, with the community apologising and pleading with him to reconsider his decision.
In videos seen by the Weekend Argus, he seemed keen to let bygones be bygones and protect the community again.
Police asked anyone with information that might lead to Bara’s arrest to contact them or the detectives involved in the case.
Weekend Argus