- A 35-year-old man arrested in connection with the gruesome murder of Lulama ‘Guffy’ Dinginto is appearing in the Athlone Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.
- The man was arrested towards the end of the year on a bus in Graaff Reinet.
- He was reportedly travelling from Gqeberha to Cape Town.
A 35-year-old man arrested in connection with the gruesome murder of Lulama ‘Guffy’ Dinginto is appearing in the Athlone Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.
The man was arrested towards the end of the year on a bus in Graaff Reinet. He was reportedly travelling from Gqeberha to Cape Town. He appeared in court briefly and has been in custody since then.
The former Community Policing Forum deputy chair was ambushed at her home, sending shock waves in the community (“Community on tenterhooks over the murder of Gugulethu CPF deputy chair, Lulama Dinginto’, City Vision, 16 December).
According to reports, the accused is a repeat offender with many cases against him.
Commenting on the arrest, a community leader who chose to remain anonymous for safety concerns said crime has polarised the community. He added that gangs have taken over and no one was spared. He claimed that community leaders were mostly targeted.
They are accused of being “informers”. “I can’t lie, we are scared. I don’t feel free walking on the streets because I don’t know what will happen to me. Only God knows what will happen to us,” he said.
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He didn’t mince his words, stating that whoever killed Guffy should face the music. He said he did not have mercy for the suspect. “Guffy’s sin was to protect the community. She never robbed anyone. I want the suspect to rot in jail. He doesn’t deserve to be part of [our community],” he said.