By Jonk wa Mashamba
news@alexreporter.co.za
After a woman was allegedly harassed by community members who target illegal foreign nationals in Alex and remove them from their rooms, Apostle Tumelo Shai, who is also ward 105 ActionSA Chairperson, intervened.
Shai stated that he was contacted by a distressed woman who needed his aid.
He said a South African (Xhosa) woman who is married to a foreigner was given an ultimatum to vacate her home by Friday at 10:00 last week.
He said that following the woman’s alleged harassment by the group, he went to the Alex Saps to attempt to open a harassment case.
“Captain Mokgabo refused our request. He became aggressive after I examined his name tag. He accused me of recording him and asked me to leave the office.
“He then provided us with a piece of torn paper to deliver to the perpetrators without police escort.
“The culprits reacted negatively towards us when we confronted them with the paper. They mocked me, took pictures of me while holding it, and dismissed the paper as fake.”
He said one of them under the influence of alcohol physically assaulted him by slapping him in the eye and ear with an object.
“Fortunately, some of my community stakeholders are part of their movement, so they prevented the situation from getting worse.
“I am not afraid of death, but I am afraid for the future of my daughter in a country where lawlessness appears to prevail,” he said.
Shai said that the torn paper had numbers belonging to the police and the intention was for the group who had taken the house to receive it and engage the police themselves.
“The police instructed us to break the door and give the paper to the culprit so they can contact them. So we didn’t even want to break the door, but we went to give them. That is when we became a joke. Others in the group wanted to give us the key, but some became violent.
“This incident highlights a disturbing trend of intolerance and disregard for the rights of our community members. It is unacceptable that a South African woman should be subjected to such harassment and intimidation solely based on her marital status.
“I urge the leadership to take immediate action to address this matter and ensure the safety and security of all our residents, regardless of their nationality or marital status. We need your support to condemn these actions and to protect the rights of our community members,” concluded the politician.
