Gang violence continues to torment the helpless communities of Westbury, Eldorado Park and Riverlea in Johannesburg. The areas have become a warzone where shootings and deaths of young men have been a daily occurrence for the last few months.
On Tuesday, three people were gunned down in Westbury, one succumbed to injuries after the shooting and two were rushed to the hospital where they are recovering.
Police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Mavela Masondo said two people were shot in the morning and a third victim was attacked in the evening.
“The two were fortunate enough to survive. At the moment, we cannot confirm the cause of the killings but we suspect that they are related to gangsterism,” said Masondo.
“We have the police anti-gangsterism team that is deployed in the areas while we continue with our investigations.”
According to Masondo, the Eldorado Park, Riverlea and Westbury communities have to live the reality of violent crime as the gang terrorism increases by the day.
Meanwhile, anti-drug activist and resident of Eldorado Park, Dereleen James, said it is clear that the government has no will to come to their rescue, sighting that every week young men are being killed.
“Everyday children are seen standing over blood-drenched bodies with no emergency services to assist the affected. The psychological effects of these shootings have impacted children and the elderly, as they are daily exposed to crime scenes,” said James.
“If it’s not Westbury, then it’s Eldo’s. It is clear that the government has no will to come to our aid.”
James added that for the last 24 days, community members have been camping out at the local police station demanding for visible policing in the area and for justice to take its course.
The officials from the provincial and local government are expected to visit the gang-infested community at the weekend.
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