Terror in Soshanguve: Community Patrollers Shot and Burned While Fighting Crime

In a heart-wrenching tragedy that has left the community of Soshanguve reeling, four community patrollers were brutally killed and eight others seriously injured in a deadly ambush in the township’s Marry Me section. The incident has once again cast a harsh spotlight on the terrifying levels of violent crime gripping one of Tshwane’s most dangerous townships.

The horrific attack unfolded during a routine night patrol, where a group of patrollers — unarmed residents who have taken on the dangerous task of protecting their neighborhoods — encountered five suspicious individuals. Following their standard procedure, they called for backup from nearby patrollers. But what was meant to be a coordinated safety operation quickly turned into a bloodbath.

As the patrollers approached, the suspects allegedly opened fire without warning. Witnesses reported that after some patrollers were shot, the assailants went a step further — setting some of the victims alight. The gruesome scene has left deep psychological scars on those who survived and on a community that has come to rely on these volunteers in the face of rising lawlessness.

Emergency services confirmed four fatalities on the scene, while eight others were rushed to hospital suffering from a combination of gunshot and burn wounds.

“These patrollers had no weapons — just reflective vests, radios, and the courage to defend their community,” said one shaken resident. “Now they’ve been slaughtered like criminals, while the real criminals run free.”

It is suspected that the attack may have been orchestrated by local criminal syndicates determined to reclaim control over the Marry Me section — an area increasingly overrun by drugs, armed robberies, and gang activity. While authorities have not yet issued an official statement or confirmed arrests, fear continues to mount among residents.

Soshanguve, located just a few kilometers north of Pretoria, has long struggled under the weight of crime, with residents constantly raising alarms over poor police visibility, limited resources, and slow response times. Last year, former Police Minister Bheki Cele held a ministerial imbizo in Jukulyn section, pledging to address crime in the township. But for many, those promises have turned out to be hollow.

“This is a war zone now,” said a local civic leader. “How do we continue asking ordinary citizens to stand up against crime when those who try are being hunted down and killed in cold blood?”

The tragedy has reignited calls for a full-scale intervention by the South African Police Service, with residents demanding increased patrols, properly resourced police stations, and urgent action against criminal elements terrorizing the community.

As the families of the slain patrollers mourn and others fight for their lives in hospital beds, one painful truth echoes through Soshanguve: the protectors have become the victims — and in this township, safety remains a distant dream.