There is concern for the safety of Johnson Mpukumpa in view of the attempts on his life and the murders in late June 1993 of his colleague, Super Nkatazo, and his nephew Eric Hewu. The perpetrators of these murders and attacks appear to be members of a gang, known locally as the “Balaclava Gang” or the “Big Eight” who operate with impunity in the Cape Town area. Despite their notoriety and their alleged involvement in other killings in the area, police have failed to arrest the gang members, and human rights monitors fear that the gang is operating at the behest of members of the South African Police.
