Patrollers in Soshanguve
By Mpho Moloi
Soshanguve, Gauteng – Police Minister Senzo Mchunu has condemned the brutal killing of five community safety patrollers in Soshanguve, a township north of Pretoria, following a violent clash with suspected criminals over the weekend. The tragic incident unfolded in the early hours of Saturday, 22 March 2025, at the Marry Me informal settlement, where the patrollers were shot and stoned to death while trying to protect their community. Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi has issued a 72-hour ultimatum to police to track down those responsible, as outrage grows over the escalating violence.
A Night of Horror in Marry Me Informal Settlement
The Marry Me informal settlement, a densely packed community in Soshanguve’s Extension 3, became a crime scene of unimaginable brutality on Saturday morning. Around 3:00 AM, a group of community patrollers—ordinary residents who volunteer to keep their streets safe—spotted five suspicious individuals. What started as a routine check quickly turned deadly. According to police reports, a heated confrontation erupted, and the patrollers were overpowered. By 6:00 AM, when officers arrived, they found four bodies riddled with gunshot wounds, some partially burned. A fifth patroller succumbed to injuries in hospital on Sunday, raising the death toll to five (TimesLIVE, 24 March 2025).
Eight other patrollers were seriously injured, rushed to nearby hospitals in ambulances and private cars. Witnesses described a chaotic scene—gunshots ringing out, stones flying, and flames flickering as the attackers fled into the night. “It was like a war zone,” said a resident who asked to remain anonymous, speaking to IOL (23 March 2025). The community is reeling, and the loss of these volunteers has left a deep wound.
Senzo Mchunu: “A Sad Day for Safety”
Police Minister Senzo Mchunu didn’t hold back his anger and sorrow. Speaking on Sunday, he called the attack a “cold-blooded murder” that struck at the heart of community efforts to fight crime. “I am saddened by the attack,” he said, praising the patrollers’ courage. His spokesperson, Kamogelo Mogotsi, echoed this sentiment: “These unarmed members of the community were committed against crime and improving the safety of the community. It was remarkable that they stood against crime and it is the right thing to do. We commend the swift action of the police in initiating a manhunt against those responsible.”
Mchunu urged residents to work with police, appealing for any tips that could lead to arrests. “We will not allow such criminality to undermine the safety of our communities,” Mogotsi added (African Insider, 24 March 2025). The minister’s words come as South Africa grapples with a crime wave—murders dropped slightly in late 2024, but Gauteng remains a hotspot, with 1,200 killings reported in Q3 alone (SAPS Crime Stats).
Panyaza Lesufi’s 72-Hour Deadline
Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi wasted no time stepping in. Visiting the grieving families on Sunday, he confirmed the fifth death and issued a stern order to police: find the killers within 72 hours. “This cannot be tolerated,” Lesufi said, standing among tearful relatives at Marry Me (EWN, 23 March 2025). He revealed a chilling twist—six suspects are in custody, and the mastermind might be orchestrating the violence from prison, linked to an extortion racket (IOL, 24 March 2025).
Lesufi’s deadline, set to expire by Wednesday morning, 26 March, puts pressure on the South African Police Service (SAPS). Public Order Police and Soshanguve officers are already on the ground, combing the settlement for clues alongside forensic teams. “We’ve deployed all resources,” said SAPS spokesperson Brigadier Brenda Muridili (Citizen, 24 March 2025). The arrests are a start, but the clock is ticking.
Extortion: The Dark Underbelly
This wasn’t a random attack—there’s a deeper story. Lesufi pointed to extortion as the motive. In Marry Me, residents pay patrollers R50 a month for protection, a voluntary donation because “the police are failing us,” one local told IOL (24 March 2025). Crime—robberies, assaults, and drug dealing—runs rampant at night, and patrollers step in where SAPS falls short. But this arrangement has drawn the ire of criminals running their own protection rackets, demanding cash for illegal water and electricity connections.
“The kingpin is believed to be in jail,” Lesufi said, hinting at a sophisticated network. It’s a grim echo of trends across Gauteng—extortion gangs have targeted businesses and schools, raking in millions (News24, January 2025). The patrollers, unarmed and outnumbered, became collateral damage in a turf war they didn’t start.
Community Patrollers: Heroes Without Capes
These weren’t trained officers or hired guards—they were neighbours, fathers, and sons who took it upon themselves to patrol the streets. Soshanguve, like many informal settlements, leans on such groups because police resources are stretched thin. With unemployment at 32% and poverty biting hard (Stats SA, 2024), crime festers, and residents turn to each other for help.
“They were brave,” said Thandi Mokoena, a Marry Me resident whose cousin was among the injured. “They didn’t have guns, just torches and a will to keep us safe.” The Democratic Alliance (DA) warned that targeting patrollers could scare others away from volunteering, leaving communities defenceless (Citizen, 24 March 2025). It’s a fear shared across Gauteng, where similar attacks have spiked—four patrollers were killed in Soweto in December 2024 (SowetanLIVE).
A Province Under Siege
Soshanguve’s tragedy is part of a bigger picture. Gauteng’s informal settlements—home to over 1.5 million people (Stats SA)—are powder kegs of violence. Just days before, on 19 March, four people died in a mass shooting in Sebokeng (Citizen). Marry Me itself has a history—three were killed there in a 2023 gang clash (EWN). The DA blames illegal alcohol trade and weak policing, calling for SAPS and Tshwane Metro Police to team up (Citizen, 24 March 2025).
Nationally, crime stats show progress—murders fell 5% in Q3 2024 (Briefly.co.za, 21 February 2025)—but Gauteng bucks the trend. Soshanguve’s police station, understaffed and underfunded, struggles to cover a sprawling township of 400,000 (IOL, 2023). Residents feel abandoned, and the patrollers’ deaths have lit a
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