South African residents call for more efforts to curb rising crimes

Residents in a crime-ravaged community in South Africa on Monday called for more efforts to help fight rising crimes.

This came after a city councillor of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) was gunned down at the Glebelands Hostel in Umlazi township in eastern South Africa. Her death brought to 62 the total number of people killed at the notorious hostel in the past two years.

Zodwa Sibiya was shot and killed at the hostel as she escorted a guest to a car at the weekend.

Further details on her killing are sketchy and the motive is unknown at present.

Police spokesperson Major Thulani Zwane confirmed that a case of murder had been opened at the Umlazi police station, but no arrests had been made.

Both the ANC and the opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) have condemned the shooting of the councillor.

"This is the worst and most callous act of cowardice that all of us, as law abiding citizens, must condemn in the strongest possible terms," ANC spokesperson Mdumiseni Ntuli said.

The DA said crime affects South Africans who do not feel safe in their homes every day.

"The dilapidation of our ability to fight crime is largely attributable to the under-resourcing that has hamstrung our nation's fight against crime," DA Shadow Minister of Police, Zakhele Mbhele said.

Deficiencies in resourcing as a result of skewed policing priorities are no better evidenced than by the 325 percent increase in drug and gang-related crime since the Narcotics Bureau was erroneously disbanded in 2004, according to the DA.

Drug and gang crimes over the last 10 years have increased by 217.7 percent, and over the last five years by 97.9 percent, the DA said.

Source: XINHUA