Six men who are allegedly affiliated to Mamelodi’s ‘Tsotsi number 1’ have been arrested and are expected to appear in court soon.
On Friday, 1 March 2019, Police Minister Bheki Cele visited Mamelodi residents who had been complaining of rife crime in the community.
Cele and MEC for Community Safety, Sizakele Nkosi-Malobane, launched a specialised unit of 100 police officers in Mamelodi, tasked with curbing crime in the community following complaints of extortion and intimidation from residents.
“This special team will be dealing with rapists, extortion, theft, robbery and assaults around Mamelodi,” he said.
During the launch, community members came forward with incriminating information against Vusi Khekhe Mathibela, also known as ‘Tsotsi number 1’. Mathibela had been accused of extorting money from local businessmen and being the mastermind behind heinous crimes in the area.
The launch of the team has now resulted in six arrests, all linked to Mathibela. 41-year-old Elias Skhosana and 51-year-old Stemar Monageng appeared at the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on Monday, 11 March 2019, on charges of extortion and intimidation. Skhosana and Monageng are expected to return to court on Friday, 15 March 2019, for a bail hearing. Four other suspects, who are believed to be involved in the same case, appeared at the Alexandra Magistrate’s Court for alleged possession of illegal firearms.
However, Mathibela and Skhosana have always maintained their innocence, telling media on different occasions that it was not right for Minister Cele to use their names in non-factual allegations.
Abenathi Gqomo
a.gqomo@politicalanalysis.co.za
