Ukhozi FM radio presenter Zimiphi "Zimdollar" Biyela is apparently fearing for her life after she accused the police in KwaZulu Natal of being trigger-happy. Zimdollar, as she is affectionately known, made the statement live on air last month after an alleged criminal was killed in a shootout with the police.
HIRING PRIVATE SECURITY COMPANY
ZiMoja can reveal that the radio personality who comes from a family which is in the taxi business hired private security as bodyguards to protect her. Sources close to the situation told ZiMoja that she hired bodyguards last month shortly after she made the controversial comments. "We were surprised when she arrived at work with bodyguards. We know that her family is in the taxi business but no one expected her to have bodyguards. we feel that was a bit extreme, I doubt the police are out to get her or even want to harm her," the source said, adding that the bodyguards drop her at work and pick her up when she knocks off.
LAMBASTED BY POLICE MINISTER
On Saturday, during the funeral of Warrant Officer Sithembiso Mazibuko, Police Minister Bheki Cele slammed Zimdollar for the comments she made about the police and blamed her for the officer's death. Mazibuko was attached to the National Intervention Unit (NIU) and was shot dead during a shootout between the police and criminals. Mazibuko and his team acted on intelligence they had received about the whereabouts of wanted suspects, including one that was linked to 12 murders of the public police forum members in Ntuzuma. Zimdollar accused the police of always having a reason to shoot and kill suspects and later claimed that they were being shot at. "Why are they always shot at? We are not children there is an order issued for cops to kill people. Innocent people end up dying," she said during her show. She went on to blame the police for the deaths of her two brothers, whom she claims were also killed by members of NIU.
At Mazibuko's funeral, Cele said:,"There is a girl called Zimdollar who went on radio and barked, barked as she pleased. She said everyone was scared of NIU and that people should stop being scared of the unit, in other words, she was saying criminals should kill our members, she made a call and it happened. She must be happy now," Cele said. The minister says that the presenter used a national asset, the SABC to be a spokesperson for criminals. "I challenge the SABC to tell me what they think of Zimdollar statement," he added. ZiMoja reached out to SABC for comment and they hadn't reverted at the time of publishing.
