KwaZulu-Natal Crime Society Chair Juda Mthethwa Shot Dead

The chairperson of the Umhlabuyalingana Society Against Crime in northern KwaZulu-Natal Juda Mthethwa has been gunned down.

He was assassinated when he returned home on Thursday night.

Mthethwa was a leader in the fight against cross-border crime in the areas surrounding uMkhanyakude.

The crime involved the theft of vehicles, which were then transported across the border to Mozambique.

It is said that there has been an increase in hijackings targeting SUVs and bakkies in uMkhanyakude in recent months.

“I can confirm that Mr Juda Mthethwa was murdered last night around half past nine. Apparently, he was coming from Durban to fetch his kid.

“It is not known for now what could be the reason for his murder, but Juda was an activist fighting against crime that is currently persistent in our area, that of taking vehicles across to Mozambique,” said a resident who worked close to him.

On Friday, top police officials briefed the police oversight committee on the most recent crime statistics for the months of October and December of last year. According to the figures, 7 555 people were reported murdered in the country between October and December of last year.

According to these figures, at least 80 people were killed every day during the time period under consideration.

Except for Limpopo, according to Major General Norman Sukhukhune, all provinces saw an increase in murders.