The Inkatha Freedom Party calls on all communities to stand up and play a vital role in protecting their public representative’s especially municipal councillors following the killing of another Richmond Ward councillor, Sfiso Mkhize who was killed in a hail of bullets on Thursday evening while on his way home.
“It is high time NOW that community members break their silence about the scourge of killings of public representatives. It doesn’t matter which party the public representative belongs to but all of them need protection. Community members must now be open about what they know when it comes to the killing of councillors. They must tell the police who own illegal guns that are out there to kill people. In order to improve public safety, we need to do more to ensure smart and effective enforcement of our gun laws and make sure that criminals and other prohibited persons cannot get their hands on lost or stolen weapons,” said IFP KZN Provincial Spokesperson on Cogta, Hon Princess Phumzile Buthelezi MPL.
“Gun violence has taken a heart breaking toll on too many communities across the country. We call for an increase in gun control measures to prevent the flood of guns into KwaZulu-Natal. KwaZulu-Natal is bleeding and it’s our citizens who are affected the most. We must come together as a community to put a stop to this violence. If you know someone with an illegal gun, call the police so that they can remove as many of them from the street as possible. Too many times we have to console family members who have lost their loved ones to gun violence. It must come to an end.
This is a serious concern. We urge our communities to help us stop crimes committed using firearms. The criminals keep getting these firearms and we are asking ourselves where they’re getting them from. You, as the community must define your role in fighting crime and assist the police to achieve safe communities,” continued Hon Princess Buthelezi.
“Communities know who the criminals are in their midst. Let us put an end to protecting these criminals. The fight against crime requires the help and support of every South African. It is no longer good enough to look away or to assume that crime is someone else’s problem. The reality is that criminals can only thrive in communities where their actions are tolerated. All of us should channel our anger into action, we dare not let crime thrive, however this should not translate into vigilantism and lawlessness,” concluded Hon Princess Buthelezi.
The IFP would like to send its deepest condolences to Mkhize family and friends.
Issued by:
Hon Princess Buthelezi MPL
IFP KZN Provincial Spokesperson on Cogta
073 216 0918