Slain ANC councillor fought for female hostels

“We will remember her as a strong woman who made sure that women were allowed to stay in hostels.”

Durban - Murdered ANC councillor, Zodwa Sibiya, has been described as a “fighter” who lobbied for women to live in hostels, according to eThekwini’s deputy mayor.

Sibiya, a PR councillor for Ward 66, was shot dead on Saturday night at the notorious Glebelands Hostel in uMlazi in what the provincial ANC termed an “assassination”.

Police said she was fatally shot in the head, chest and arm. She was the seventh person to be killed at the hostel this year.

Speaking at eThekwini’s executive committee meeting on Tuesday, deputy mayor Nomvuzo Shabalala said that Sibiya was gunned down in front of her children in the very place she fought to occupy as a woman.

“Zodwa died in front of her children. We will remember her as a strong woman who made sure that women were allowed to stay in hostels,” said Shabalala.

“That was the reason she was staying in the hostel. She fought for [women] to live in the hostel with [their children], hence the dedicated block for women and children was [allocated].”

She said that a hostel block specifically for women and children should ensure family cohesion and safety. “We thought it was a good move,” said Shabalala.

She said that police intelligence should be able to pick up on potential crime in the area and prevent it before it occurs.

“More than 60 people have been killed in one place [over the past year], and there are no arrests, even though people [on the ground] are talking about these things on a daily basis,” she said, adding that this was unacceptable.

She said the city’s ability to provide security was limited to fencing and other “small things”, while the bulk of security provisions rested with the police.

“People are being shot at night in [Glebelands], and if there are security patrols there we may be able to [reduced incidents of killing].”

eThekwini mayor, James Nxumalo, said the police must play their part in keeping hostel residents and councillors safe, particularly at violence-prone KwaMashu and Glebelands hostels.

All councillors were unanimous in their calls for increased security at the hostels and agreed that police action – or perceived inaction – had to be addressed as a matter of urgency.

“The situation at Glebelands is very, very dangerous. People live in fear and are killed on a weekly or monthly basis; it’s a big issue,” said Nxumalo.

“We were hoping that the police would help us deal with the situation, but it looks like the situation is escalating … it looks like the police are not taking seriously the issue of hostels,” he said.

He said that it was not known if Sibiya’s killing was related to other killings at the hostel but that the matter was being left with police to investigate.

A sub committee had been set up to tackle the matter by premier Senzo Mchunu to address the violence at the hostel, with MECs Willies Mchunu (Transport, community safety and liaison), Nomusa Dube (cooperative governance and traditional affairs) and Ravi Pillay (human settlements and public works).

The sub committee would work to find solutions to the “instability and killings” in the area, as well as evictions, accommodation and security problems.

Nxumalo said that the hostel was being fenced at the request of the premier at a cost of about R10 million.

“But at the end of the day, we are not police … and the police are the ones who are supposed to be playing their part to make sure hostel dwellers are secure.”

He said that last week at an imbizo in KwaMashu following the death of four people from KwaMashu hostel, he asked the police to prioritise “just two hostels – KwaMashu hostel and Gleblands hostel; because it is known that people are being killed there”.

“It looks like the police are not taking seriously the issue of Glebelands and KwaMashu hostels,” he said. “We are talking about human beings here.”

Councillor Logie Naidoo said that very often the media and opposition members “trivialised” the deaths of councillors by questioning security costs or moving them to safe houses.

“Security allocation to councillors is done procedurally, by crime intelligence, and based on those reports, security or moving councillors [to safe houses] is done,” he said.

Naidoo said that in one incident, two councillors were moved for safety reasons yet their new residences were photographed and published by certain media.

“Maybe it is time that these people realise how serious this is, how many councillors we have lost; shot dead in the last 10 years,” he said.

Sibiya’s memorial service will take place at city hall on Thursday at 3pm.

Funeral details have not yet been finalised.

Africa News Agency

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