This week saw another senseless killing in Westbury, a community situated west of Johannesburg.
This comes after two parents were shot and killed in their home on Wednesday night. It is not clear if the shooting was related to the gang violence plaguing the area.
Colonel Noxolo Kweza, the spokesperson for police in Johannesburg, said the couple, together with their daughters, aged seven and nine, were at home when three gunmen budged in at about 8pm and opened fire at them.
“The suspects were all wearing balaclavas and immediately opened fire, targeting both parents,” said Kweza.
“Members of the anti-gang unit and public order policing, who were conducting a disruptive blue-light patrol operation in the area, responded to the incident.”
Police seek help from the public
Kweza implored anyone with knowledge pertaining to the suspects to get in touch with law-enforcement authorities.
She also encouraged witnesses to contact the police on the toll-free Crime Stop number, 08600 10111, to provide any information. The callers may opt to remain anonymous.
Jefferson Alistair, a pastor and community leader, stated that he is still hurting following the shooting.
“In fact, I am more hurt. In the comfort of their home, they were killed. This same mother lost two of her sons to gun violence a month apart,” Alistair said with tears in his eyes.
“This is a painful experience for our community.”
Westbury residents, who chose to remain anonymous, expressed their anger when Sunday World visited the area on Thursday, saying the murders are becoming a pattern.
Residents want army deployed
They said they have been knocking on the doors of the South African Police Service and Police Minister Bheki Cele, to which temporary solutions have been offered.
In March, the residents threatened to shut down the area after they pleaded with the deputy national police commissioner, Tebello Mosikili, to deploy the army in the area.
They wanted the army to be at the forefront of tackling violent crime in the area.
This was after a man was gunned down in his pharmacy.
At the time, the man was serving patients in his shop when three unknown men wearing balaclavas walked in and ambushed him.
Eldorado Park shooting
In a separate incident on Thursday, a 34-year-old man was found with gunshot wounds to his body at the Hillbrow Flats in Eldorado Park.
This is the same area where, in August 2020, police shot and killed 16-year-old Nathaniel Julies close to his home.
Julies’ murder trial continues in the Palm Ridge magistrate’s court, where former police officers are in the dock for the murder of the teenager.
According to Kweza, four empty cartridges were found at the scene of the shooting on Thursday. No arrests have been made, and the police are investigating.
According to community members, eight gunshots preceded the discovery of the man’s body.
