Ambushed and shot multiple times while seated in their patrol vehicle, two park rangers executing their duties at the Silverglen Nature Reserve had no way to escape brazen gunmen who pounced on them at around 8am on 4 March.
Since the assassination of the rangers, detectives from the Bayview SAPS worked tirelessly and around the clock to ensure the arrest of one of the four men suspected of the brutal killing. Nkululeko Kwanda Nzama, 24, appeared in the Durban Regional Court, last Wednesday, facing charges of two counts of murder and armed robbery. His three accomplices are still on the run. The murder of Cyril Hlafuna and Jabulani Gwacela, sent ripples throughout Chatsworth and neighbouring communities. The police and those working closely with the deceased arrived at the scene, deep within the 420 hectare reserve, after being notified of gunshots heard in the area.
Meanwhile, Silverglen Conservancy representatives and relevant departments have been opening patrol routes to create more effective policing and curb criminal elements within the reserve. The pathways and patrol routes which are being re-opened will make the area safer to patrol in the hopes of restoring the serene reserve, which boasts thousands of indigenous plants, trees and bird species, to the safe place it once was. Silverglen Conservancy chairman, Shaun Hammond, said since the killing of the park rangers, it is instrumental for safety reasons that the pathways and patrol routes are opened. “The pathways and routes which are being re-opened will allow for security personnel to patrol the entire reserve. The eThekwini Municipality will provide the reserve with security management doing extra patrols in the area.”
Hammond said previously, they could not exercise or execute thorough patrols because of the dense bush that had covered up the old patrol routes. “We have a front-end loader assisting us from the roads department and we are opening up the old patrol routes which were left unattended to a point where overgrown alien trees and bush took over. This is a two-fold operation where we are ensuring the routes are opened up again for safety reasons and also to combat the problem of overgrown bush and alien plantations. We expect that with extra patrols, illegal dumping will be controlled and there will also be a decrease in criminal activity within the reserve. All of this will be pointless if the reserve does not have a proper entrance and access control point. We are pushing for a boom gate and an access control point at the Road 703 entrance to the reserve.”
Bayview SAPS communications officer, Warrant Officer Collin Chetty, commended the highly skilled detectives from the Bayview SAPS detective branch for their dedication and commitment to the fight against crime. He said police are still searching for three remaining suspects. The Silverglen Nature Reserve Nursery, situated in the heart of the reserve remains opened, while safety security protocols are being stepped up in the reserve. The public is cautioned to keep away from the reserve for safety reasons. Anyone who can assist with information regarding the case can contact Detective Warrant Officer Norman Khomo on 079-500-0139 or 031-405-7212.
