A police officer who was left fighting for his life after being stabbed as he tried to quell a fight between warring youths from Ekuphumleni and Ilitha Park, has been released from hospital.
The police was off duty when he noticed a commotion in a nearby house in Phakamisa and decided to intervene.
The incident happened a fortnight ago.
“He was stabbed several times in the arm and this led to excessive bleeding. He was rushed to hospital where he was admitted in a critical condition,” said eyewitness Mamiya Sibewu.
She said the young men from Ekuphumleni had come to look for another young man but when they could not find him they attacked his mother, breaking house windows before driving away with a red bakkie.
Sergeant Xoliswa Nyalambisa of Lingelethu West SAPS who co-ordinated a community meeting to tackle crime issues, said it had come to their attention that young men from Ekuphumleni had gone to Ilitha Park to retaliate for a previous attack on them.
On Sunday concerned parents and residents from both sections met in Ekuphumleni to discuss the situation.
Resident, Vukile Mathe, said there was a lot of criminal activity among the youth in the area.
“There are many reports that come out this place and we need to stand up as community members and make our area safe. The boys who are doing this are known and we (need the) backbone to confront criminality here,” said Mathe.
Also at the meeting were residents of Level 2 squatter area erected in Graceland, who had come to lay a complaint about a group of Ekuphumleni youths who had started trouble in their area on Friday night.
“In the middle of the night about eight boys knocked on our doors, telling us they will kill us if we don’t vacate the area we live in. We come to this meeting in peace because those are your children and their threats are dangerous,” said Mandla Qhinga.
Sergeant Nyalambisa urged all in the meeting to address these issues and start forums to deal with crime in the area.
“Try to solve these matters among you as a community and if you are failing, let the police know,” she said.