The residents of Westbury, a neighbourhood west of Johannesburg, lost another leader in the area plagued by gun violence when community activist Ashwin Mccabe was murdered.
The drive-by shooting, which cost Mccabe his life on Monday evening, is one of the latest gun violence incidents in Westbury and has been described as senseless.
Families, friends, and neighbours came together on Tuesday night to honour the brave 40-year-old community leader and lit candles in his memory.
Police confirmed that Mccabe was killed on Monday evening and said an investigation is under way.
Suspect spotted riding a bike
“At about 7.30pm, three people had just closed their shop at the corner of Rahima Moosa Street in Newclare,” said Gauteng police spokesperson, Colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi.
“That was when they were attacked by an unknown man riding a bike and wearing a helmet.”
Nevhuhulwi said two of the victims sustained gunshot wounds and were rushed to the hospital, where one succumbed to his injuries.
The motive for the killing is not known, and the police are pleading with anyone with information to contact the police.
In a separate incident, Nevhuhulwi said two men were shot and killed on March 2 in Eldorado Park, a neighbourhood in the south of Johannesburg.
The victims were aged 20 and 22.
“Nobody was arrested, and the motive for the shooting is unknown. A team has been activated to investigate the murders and follow up on any leads received,” she said.
Eldorado Park councillor, Juwairiya Kaldine, slammed the murders, saying they cannot be condoned.
Israel and Gaza are within our community
“Eldorado Park is in a danger zone, a danger zone with our own; killing each other can never and will never be correct,” Kaldine said.
“As the Eldorado Park community, how do we support Israel or Palestine when we have Israel and Palestine in our very own community every day?
“The government plays a huge role, and we have a failed government, a government that over the past 25 years has not assisted in helping our people with skills development centres or rehabilitation centres.
“There are also not enough social workers to deal with the ills of this community.”
She expressed sadness that many innocent lives are being lost to turf wars, drugs, and gun violence in the area, adding that she would continue to pray for peace.
Westbury community leader, Jefferson Allistair, said: “As a community, we had a riot outside the police station and demanded more police visibility.
“There will be a deployment of about 200 police between the areas of Eldorado Park, Riverlea, and Westbury.”
