AbaThembu regent shot dead at Mqhekezweni Great Place

Chieftainess Nogcinile Mtirara of the Eastern Cape royal family has been shot and killed at Mqhekezweni Great Place.

The incident happened on Tuesday night. She is the granddaughter-in-law of AbaThembu regent Jongintaba Mtirara. 

The police are also investigating the rape of five learners which also took place in Mqhekezweni on Tuesday.

Lt-Col Siphokazi Mawisa said a murder case has been opened for Mtirara's murder. She was gunned down in the Mqhekezweni Administrative area outside Mthatha by two unknown men wearing balaclavas.

“The investigating team is already on the ground together with SAPS forensic experts. The provincial detectives from the Serious and Violent Crimes unit are leading the team to ensure that the perpetrators are arrested,” said Mawisa.

The investigating team is already on the ground together with SAPS forensic expertsLt-Col Siphokazi Mawisa

In the second incident, Mawisa said the learners were raped and robbed at gunpoint in the Mqhekezweni Administrative area.

“The provincial head of the Family Violence, Child Protection, and Sexual Offences Investigations unit [FCS] has assembled a team to investigate and apprehend these perpetrators,” she said.

A year ago, the Mail & Guardian interviewed Mtirara on issues of violence, lawlessness and rapes in her village. 

“The problems we are experiencing in our village are rape, killing, and general lawlessness that has reached crisis proportions. People are raped, killed, shot, and their livestock stolen.

“There are two women in the village that were raped; after two months, they are raped again, and after another three months, they are raped. The situation has become so bad that several families have abandoned their homes in fear for their lives,” said Mtirara at that time.

Mtirara, 71, painted a grim picture of the lives of residents in Mqhekezweni, a village about 40 kilometres from Mthatha.

In the same article, residents described the village as once being “a magical kingdom” and “delightful” according to Nelson Mandela, who spent his formative years in Mqhekezweni. 

In the village, women are allegedly forced by criminals to pay a “protection fee” to shield themselves from being raped. – Additional reporting Mail & Guardian