‘The Land of Blood’: Another Community Watchman Falls in Hazyview’s Cycle of Violence

They call it ‘The Land of Blood.’ It’s not a name from a horror film, but a grim moniker earned by the Mkhuhlu Trust area near Hazyview, where the sound of gunfire has become a tragically common part of life. Today, that violence claimed another life, cutting down a man who was part of the solution.

A 37-year-old taxi driver, who also served as a dedicated member of the Marite Patrol Unita community crime-fighting groupwas shot and killed next to the Letsatsi Tavern in Madras this afternoon.

According to SAPS spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Jabu Ndubane, police rushed to the scene after reports of a shooting. Upon arrival, they found the victim with fatal gunshot wounds. Emergency medical services were alerted, but there was nothing to be done. He was declared dead at the scene. The only clues left behind were multiple rifle cartridges scattered on the ground.

A Deepening Crisis in the Calcutta Precinct

This killing is not an isolated incident. It is the fourth gun-related murder in the Calcutta policing precinct in less than two weeks, a statistic that points to a terrifying surge in local violence.

The past ten days have seen a grim toll:

• Another taxi driver.

• A local bishop.

• Lawrence Thomas Masuku, the chairperson of the very same Marite Patrol Unit.

The funeral for Masuku, a man who likely stood shoulder-to-shoulder with today’s victim in the fight against crime, was held just this past Saturday. The grief from that service had barely settled before another member of his team was targeted.

A Community’s Desperate Fight

The murder of a patrol unit member strikes a particularly devastating blow. These are volunteers who step up, unarmed or lightly so, to protect their own neighbourhoods when they feel the official system is failing. Their work is dangerous, and today, that danger became fatally real for a second time.

The killing deepens the fear in an area already traumatized. The nickname ‘The Land of Blood’ has been earned through more than 30 unsolved gun-related deaths over the past two years. Each unsolved case erodes trust and emboldens the killers, creating a cycle of violence that feels impossible to break.

The police have launched a manhunt and are appealing to the public for any information that could assist their investigation. But for the residents of Marite and Mkhuhlu, the questions are mounting faster than the answers. How many more funerals must they attend? How many more protectors must fall before the cycle is broken?

The Land of Blood has claimed another life, and a community is left wondering if anyone can truly stop the bleeding.

{Source: TheCitizen}

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