Thembisa man dies helping Kwa - Thema community

A South African man, Vincent Malope (39), was shot and killed while driving a truck last week on Thursday, 01 February 2024, allegedly by foreign nationals retaliating after being chased out of their business areas in Kwa-Thema, East of Ekurhuleni, where they were renting. The angry residents chased them out, shop by shop, after accusing them of poisoning their children by selling them expired goods, which prompted the Crime Prevention Wardens (CPW), joined by the community, to raid all these suspected shops checking for compliance and found expired food on the shelves.

The incident took place on the N17, where it is alleged that two cars driven by Pakistani nationals opened fire on Malope’s truck and shot him. His assistant driver says he can identify the killers because he knows them; he has seen them before while they operated their businesses in Kwa-Thema. He witnessed the incident as he was in the truck when they were shot at. He says he tried to save Malope’s life by assisting him out of the truck and calling for help. Unfortunately, before the police and ambulance arrived, he died at the scene. He says, that had the police responded in time from his call, they would have found the killers on the scene as they drove back after shooting at them to set the truck alight.

It is believed that among community members from Kwa-Thema, some supply foreign nationals with information on what the community is contemplating and when. Many community leaders in Kwa-Thema say they have received death threats since last year September when these commotions began but got escalated and fueled by the Soweto incident that happened on October 03, 2023, where two school kids died after eating biscuits bought from a shop managed by Ethiopian men.

"In most cases, where we tried to confront these shop owners, we would find them already having mobilized themselves, armed and ready for us, a clear indication that someone among the community is feeding them with our plans," says one of the community leaders, who did not want to be identified, claiming that she is afraid of her life after having received death threats several times from Somali men. She says someone phoned the shooters to inform them that they were removing their containers in the township, hence they followed the truck and killed Malope.

"A case of murder and malicious damage to property is opened with the Kwa-Thema police station for further investigation. Currently, no arrest has been made, but police are working on the matter," says Colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhuhulwi, SAPS spokesperson.