An elderly married couple of Zolani informal settlement are living in fear after residents threatened to demolish their home last Thursday.
Elliot Sam (92), and his wife Liziwe Sam (63) couldn’t believe it when the residents arrived at their home, ransacked it and demanded that they leave or it will be demolished.
An elderly married couple of Zolani informal settlement are living in fear after residents threatened to demolish their home last Thursday.
Elliot Sam (92), and his wife Liziwe Sam (63) couldn’t believe it when the residents arrived at their home, ransacked it and demanded that they leave or it will be demolished.
This is after the residents alleged that their son was involved in a robbery and the stabbing of a man in Xolani two weeks ago.
Liziwe said this started on Sunday when a group of residents armed with knives and knobkieries, came to the house and asked where her son was.
“They said they are going to kill my son in front of us because he has stabbed someone in Xolani. They threatened us, ransacked our home and even threw insults at us. By that time my son locked himself in a room, and we didn’t know what to do,” she explained.
Pepper spray was also used by another resident during the incident. “Wecould not sleep in our room for four days because of the spray. Our blankets smelt of the spray, and that made it impossible for us to sleep in our room,” explained the visibly shaken mother.
Liziwe said the residents returned to her home on Thursday last week after they held a meeting in the township. “This time they told us about a meeting of the residents that was to be held in Tantyi Hall, and we should attend the meeting.”
Elliot could not believe what happened to his house. “We were called names, even children threw insults at us. I have never hurt anybody in my life.
We never sent our son to commit crime in the area”. Liziwe adds “What frustrates us the most is that my son was not alone in this, why are the residents only target us, and not go to the families of the friends of my son?”
The crowd vacated the house after the police were summoned and ordered the residents to leave the premises. The couple have not laid a complaint with the police.
Another resident who did not want to be named witnessed one of the incidents on Thursday afternoon. “I saw a group of people of about hundred using vulgar language to the elderly couple.
I feel sorry for the couple because they did not send their child to commit this offence. The residents should have dealt with their son, and leave the parents alone”.
