THE mood at the notorious Glebelands Hostel in Umlazi, south of Durban has turned from optimism that shootings have ended, to fear that violence will flare up again.
A group of men suspected of being friends of convicted hitman Mxoleleni Bhani are said to have indicated that they will be collecting R30 from each resident.
According to rumours, the money is needed to pay for the cost of Bhani’s appeal against his life sentence.
A source said: “These man are feared and nobody wants to open a case.
“If anyone refuses to give R30, they may be targeted and killed. We are scared that more blood will flow.
“Some residents might keep quiet, but they plan to fight this in a dirty way,” the source said.
Daily Sun reported on the issue in August, when news of the money collection first surfaced.
Residents said some collections had already been made.
“When the story was published, the money collectors stopped taking money. They seemed frightened by the cops, who kept coming to the hostel to find out more about the matter.
“Now that everything has calmed down they are continuing where they left off,” said the source.
Bhani (28) was sentenced to life in prison in July for shooting and killing Sipho Ndovela (35) outside the Umlazi Magistrates Court in 2015.
He is the first person to be convicted of a murder at the hostel, although nearly 100 people have been killed there since 2014.
KZN police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Thulani Zwane said the complainants should report the money collection to the police so it can be investigated.
“The cops will protect the identity of those who come forward with information.”
