‘I couldn’t stop the blood. It was coming out of his head like a broken tap. I put my hand over it but it just wouldn’t stop.’

Himself a victim of attempted assassination, violent illegal eviction and police torture, Andile* was first on the scene after Dumisani* was ambushed while unlocking the door to his Glebelands room at around 1400 today. Another man at the scene also sustained serious injuries. Both are in a critical condition in hospital. The SAPS have been requested to provide round the clock police protection in case the killers return to finish their evil work.

Dumisani had been in hiding, on and off, for months after being notified the Glebelands hitmen were hunting him. He had been warned that if the killers failed to find him they would target his family, starting with his youngest child. We all worried about Dumisani, he could be careless. And Andile, severely traumatised by the death of over 18 close friends in under 24 months. And the countless other besieged residents who have become targets of the politically aligned hostel assassins and their rotten killer cop friends.

Today, I also met the young son of another man who was gunned down earlier this year. His uncles were forced to flee the hostel after they were threatened and forced from their rooms. His mother has been forced into destitution after the loss of the family’s breadwinner. His hand was so cold when I shook it although the day was hot. His eyes were far older than his years. It has been said that he has vowed to live only to avenge his father’s murder. He is only thirteen years old.

Today, again, I saw men break down and cry. They have seen too much. Their reality is not that experienced by most ‘normal’ people, living ‘normal’ lives in a supposedly functional democracy. They ride shotgun for mates visiting the local shopping centre, or those few still going to work. Their days are spent dwelling on the countless lives lost, families starving, planning, planning, planning, how to make ends meet, how to cover funeral expenses, how to stay alive. Their nights are filled with the fear of visits from faceless killers – known to them, but seemingly unidentifiable to the authorities. Few cases seem to stick and rumours abound of the deceased warlord’s cop sidekick’s increasing power. Word is out you can order any make of firearm from him as long as your motive is to kill those seemingly deemed politically undesirable by certain factions of the ruling party.

Today, I learned of a Glebelands resident who recently lost his mother to illness. He was tubed by police last year and has received constant threats from the hostel thugs ever since. It has been reported that the hostel killers intend to infiltrate his mother’s funeral and take him out while he is distracted by grief.

Today, we also battled, unsuccessfully, to get key witnesses to a recent murder into witness protection. One witness to another multiple hit has already been lost to the criminal justice system after seemingly inexperienced witness protection unit representatives refused to reimburse the witness his average monthly income if placed in the programme. Why? Because he is self-employed and, along with the majority of South Africans, cannot produce a salary slip. As this would have immediately rendered the witness’ family destitute, the witness understandably declined to participate in the programme despite the immediate threat to his life. He was then reportedly dumped – without a cent in his pocket – in an area frequented by known Glebelands hitmen. He had to beg money from passers-by to catch public transport back home. All because he tried to do right by the state.

Another key witness has just been denied immediate processing on the grounds his case has not been deemed sufficiently ‘urgent’. The head of the provincial witness protection unit should be reminded that 50 people are now dead at Glebelands many of whom were identified to hitmen as a risk to their continued liberty. When witnesses are gunned down at court months after police were notified of the clear and present danger to their lives, and numerous others who had received threats and were identified to police have ended up under a shiny silver blanket, it seems that the Glebelands risk factor is not taken seriously despite whatever the MEC for Community Safety and Liaison may mouth off. It is soul destroying when, time and again, no matter how hard one wrestles with a dysfunctional system to keep witnesses alive, one cannot stop their lives ebbing away before one’s eyes – the process accelerated by political interference, lack of resources, alleged collusion and inexperience. And these are not just names and numbers that can be ‘X-ed’ off a bloodless killers hit list – these are living, breathing, human beings with families, friends, goals and aspirations – just like all of us. If these witnesses are killed, we will know whose hands will be soaked in blood – empty consolation, however, to their bereaved families.

Where is our humanity that we continue to swallow the political line that the violence at Glebelands is just ‘people fighting over beds’. How long will we believe the ruling party’s lies – the claims that security measures at Glebelands have been ‘a success’? How long will we endorse empty gestures to bring peace to Glebelands? How long will we add our voices to local government’s calls for futile fencing, oppressive access control, and yet more security contracts for politically connected companies? When will we acknowledge the truth at Glebelands? That Glebelands is a microcosm of the rot that has undermined the fabric of our society, destroyed our humanity, made a mockery of concepts such as ‘ubuntu’, destabilized our democratic, constitutional and human rights, and left our so called ‘rainbow nation’ tattered by hatred, divisive political power struggles, greed and unresolved racial and ethnic prejudice. Glebelands is OUR South Africa – blood-soaked, traumatised and abused. Glebelands is the product of our negligence, our lack of vigilance, our failure to prevent a rerun of past injustices.

In a 1980s flashback, many residents are now calling for the intervention of the SANDF. We appear to have gone full circle in our bloodlust to recreate our violent past. We lobbied for the army out of hostels, now we lobby to get them back. Have we not learned that political failure merely begets political violence?

We pray for the speedy recovery of Dumisani and his friend. We pray the violence at Glebelands will soon end so the community may try to start picking up the pieces of their shattered lives. We pray for an end to the community’s pain. We pray. That is all that is left for us to do. We have consistently failed to do anything else.

*Names have been changed to protect their identities

* Vanessa Burger is an Independent Community Activist for Human Rights & Social Justice.

* THE VIEWS OF THE ABOVE ARTICLE ARE THOSE OF THE AUTHOR AND DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE VIEWS OF THE PAMBAZUKA NEWS EDITORIAL TEAM

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