A family in SST informal settlement, in Town Two, Khayelitsha, have accused Harare police of inefficiency.
The family claimed the police failed to intervene when a gangster was stabbed in their yard.
Members of the Mafilika family said they were left traumatised when members of an unknown gang fought in their yard, on Tuesday January 17.
The family claim they called police, but they never came.
In a scathing attack, an angry Ntombiyakhe Mafilika said she had given up on the Harare police, claiming that it was not the first time they did not come when called to a crime scene.
“When we were under fire from gangsters, we called them, but they never showed up.
“How then do you believe in such people? At the time, they told us their vehicles were under fire. They said they could not come because they were scared.
“Harare police do not care about the community. In this instance, I am told they said they came but could not get in because their cars were in danger. These people cannot deal with crime,” she said.
When Vukani visited the family last week calm had returned to their home, but blood stains were still visible on the floor.
Zoliswa Mafilika, who had a swollen eye, criticised the police for their handling of the matter. She claimed to have been hit by a stone that was thrown at her house.
But she was grateful that her five-month-old twins were not hurt.
“They (thugs) nearly killed one twin who was sleeping in bed. The bed is under the window that they hit with a stone. I had to stand firm so that the victim could not come in. He was pushing because he was in danger. I was hurt in the process,” she said.
Harare police spokeswoman Captain Nosiphiwo Mntengwane appealed to the family to come to the station and speak to the station commander. She said she could not deny the claims, but the only way to resolve the problem was to engage with the station commander.
“Maybe they did call but we are not sure. They can explain it better to the station commander. They will obviously know who they spoke to and the time of the call. The station commander will then take the case and deal with it,” she said.
Captain Mntengwane said it was the duty of police to serve the community and it would be wrong if they really did not go to the crime scene.
