“I appeal to all of you not to despair. Stand up, with your chest out. Because we have a lot of work to do.”
Vumile Ndyumbu, the eldest brother of Mthobeli – the Fidelity ADT security patroller who was gunned down in his armed response vehicle last month – had these words to share with the group of broken-hearted people who gathered at Purley Park in Claremont on Friday 29 July.
In a show of support earlier that morning, residents lined the streets in the rain as a convoy of security, neighbourhood watch, police and privately owned vehicles drove by.
Mthobeli, who resided in Khayelitsha, was one of three armed response officers who were attacked and robbed of their firearms in three separate incidents in the southern suburbs on Saturday 23 July.
Of the three patrollers attacked, two were shot: Zukile Jongilanga and Mthobeli.
While Jongilanga managed to pull through after being rushed to hospital, Mthobeli’s wounds proved fatal.
Responding to the crime scene at the demolished bowling clubhouse in Herschel Close just after 21:15 on the Saturday, officers from the Claremont Police’s Crime Prevention Unit (CPU) found the father of two slumped in his armed response vehicle with multiple gunshot wounds to his body.
He was declared dead on the scene.
On Friday morning, a shared sadness hung in the air at Purley Park – the end destination of the convoy where a tree-planting ceremony was held in Mthobeli’s honour.
Speaking at the event, Ndyumbu described those who had robbed him of his brother as “monsters of the darkness” bereft of humanity.
“Don’t give up. Stand up, because what my brother, Mthobeli, has done, he passed the baton to you. The baton of peace.”
Commenting on the huge support shown that morning, Ndyumbu said it made him happy to see that his brother served the community with dignity and respect.
“From young and old, as I looked along the streets here, I saw pensioners who were supposed to be in their warm rooms but they decided to leave that comfort to say farewell,” he said.
Also sharing a few words at the ceremony, Katherine Christie, the councillor for Ward 58, said that Mthobeli was no ordinary man.
“They (the Ndyumbu family) are descendants of the king of the Thembu people. They are the isiXhosa people of the Eastern Cape around the Cradock region.
“They are royalty. So Claremont wasn’t served by an ordinary man but by a king, and his name, Mthobeli, meant calm, collected, humble and respectful. That is the man that Claremont had the privilege of being served by.”
Besides his three brothers and two sisters, Mthobeli leaves behind his wife Nonzukiso, and two sons, aged 14 and nine.
Nonzukiso described her husband as a kind, humble man, someone who dearly loved his family, a peacemaker. She said although she was struggling to cope with her husband’s loss, she had to be strong for her boys.
“I miss him. Like watching TV together, sometimes taking our dogs for a walk. I was saying to my kids, you know sometimes I come home late from work but when I got home, he had cooked. If I worked the weekend, he would do the washing for the boys, feed them. When I got home, they were already waiting for me and then he would warm my food, rub my feet.”
By Nonzukiso’s side on Friday was Candice Hammond, district sales manager of Fidelity ADT. On the night that Mthobeli was murdered, Hammond was among the first to arrive at the scene.
Although Fidelity ADT had organised the convey, with the assistance of the City of Cape Town’s Traffic Department, Hammond said the convoy wasn’t representative of any single company or industry, but rather of the community as a whole.
“Thank you for the send-off that you gave him. We appreciate it. We are honoured. Especially in the weather. I feel that the heavens are crying with us today,” said Hammond.
As news of the shootings spread through the community last week, many residents took to social media, expressing their shock and disbelief at the violent attacks that took place in Claremont.
Jeni Rowe, chair of Harfield Village Community Improvement District (HVCID), said the brutality of the crimes rocked the community and their sense of security. She said it had left residents feeling on edge.
“This just created a whole other barrier and, yet, when you look at this, it is such community – to see everyone coming out from areas all around us, to come and just be here and support,” said Rowe.
Derek Bluck, chair of the Har-Lyn Neighbourhood Watch, described the convoy and tree-planting ceremony as a moving tribute to an officer who they had worked with in their area.
“It is a reminder that we should always be prepared. Even though Claremont is a safe neighbourhood, this kind of crime does happen. We can learn from this and prevent it from happening in the future,” said Bluck.
Members and representatives from about nine neighbourhood watches, about eight private security companies and towing companies participated in Friday’s convoy.
Jacqui Stewart of BKM (Bergvliet, Kreupelbosch, Meadowridge) Watch said they came to join in solidarity with the family. She said it was now more important than ever for residents to have each other’s back.
“We all need to get together. We need more community involvement because this affects absolutely everybody. If people just expect the security companies and the police to carry the burden of the crime, it is not going to work. We really need everybody to pull together in this country,” said Stewart.
