A protest march against the local police station and its “truant” officers has been convened in Richmond for Friday morning‚ ahead of the funeral of the town’s slain municipal manager Sibusiso Sithole.

“We demand that police officers here‚ who are working against their own community‚ be removed with immediate effect — and we demand arrests in all political killings that have gone unpunished‚” said Mlamuli Mdunge‚ who is among those organising the residents’ protest march.

“By the time the coffin touches down in his grave we demand that the killers be behind bars‚” he said on Thursday afternoon.

The town’s spokesman‚ Sibonelo Bhengu‚ said the permission for the march has been granted by the municipal traffic department.

One council official said they are expecting fewer than a thousand people‚ meaning the march could be contained if it gets out of hand. The march will start at the municipal offices and proceed to the Richmond police station where a memorandum of grievances will be handed over.

The march comes just two days after police minister Nathi Nhleko and his national police commissioner Khomotso Phahlane visited Richmond in the wake of Sithole’s murder.

ANC Moses Mabhida regional secretary Mzi Zuma said his party will join the march.

Local police came under fire from speakers at a memorial service‚ especially since Sithole was gunned down near the police station.

“We don’t know whether police here want to work or not. Countless number of people and political leaders have lost their lives in Richmond but no arrests [have been made]...

“We are tired of coming to Richmond to attend funerals. We want to come here to cut ribbons because a certain road or facility is being opened...[bringing] better the lives to the people and creating social stability here‚” said Zuma.

Speakers included leaders from alliance partners: the SACP‚ Cosatu‚ Sanco‚ ANC Youth League‚ ANC Women’s League and the MKMVA.

While couched subtly‚ corruption was fingered as the reason behind Sithole’s murder as he had worked hard to combat theft and fraud.

Alliance partners questioned the type of a deployee the organisation was sending to local government.

“The type of a deployee is the one who will kill his own comrade if they don’t have their way to resources‚” said one official.

Sithole’s pastor‚ Rev Sipho Phungula‚ who was one of the speakers‚ said those who killed him could not fight him in the boardroom and resorted to guns.

Phungula said Sithole confided in him everything that was happening in Richmond.

“I know you know him very well. You Richmond people know him at his best and at his worst. I know you even know the side of him that once suffered from alcoholism‚ but above all that this was the creme de la creme of local government.

“Such was a man who was destined for great things‚ who also acknowledged his own faults‚” he said to cheers at the packed Richmond Agricultural Hall.

— TMG Digital