Johannesburg - The ongoing gang violence in Westbury has left the embattled area paralysed by fear, with pupils staying away from school, community leaders in hiding and protests planned against police corruption.
At least six shootings in the area over the past 10 days led to a buzz on social media on Wednesday night and Thursday morning with messages across various networks encouraging residents to take part in a major stayaway.
Several parents told The Star on Thursday morning they wouldn't send their children to school while they were not going to work.
Marie Daniels, together with her teenage daughter Natasha and older son Justin, said they were staying home on Thursday.
“We've had enough. Too many people are dying and getting injured because of lawless teenagers who are not arrested, so that's why we are doing this stayaway,” said Daniels.
Another resident, Melissa Williams, said she wouldn't let her children go to school.
“I'm afraid, we're all afraid, there are shootings all day in broad daylight. A lot of innocent people are getting caught in the middle of this. It's just getting worse and worse,” Williams said.
Sophiatown police spokesman Warrant Officer Jerbes de Bruyn was able to confirm that two people were shot in another incident on Wednesday night and they were still investigating the matter.
Meanwhile, a community leader in hiding, Shahiem Ismail, who was part of the group organising the stayaway, said they could no longer live in their own community as prisoners.
However, he also told The Star that the police were searching for the organisers “as though (they were) criminals”.
Joburg police remain on high alert in the troubled area following another five shootings over the past week and a half.
Sources close to the investigation claim the exchange of gunfire stems from opposing gangs fighting over drug territory.
Sophiatown station commander Brigadier Susan Crafford, who oversees Westbury and surrounding areas, said a task team had been deployed to the area.
Officers were continuously patrolling the area and had also increased their visibility in unmarked vehicles.
Crafford explained that there had been five separate shootings in Westbury since Monday last week, including one each day over the weekend.
The battle spilt over into Tuesday night where several cartridge cases were recovered although no official complaint had yet been laid.
Crafford said all those caught in the gunfire were believed to be from gangs and they were not seriously injured.
“They were all shot in the lower body and are not seriously harmed.”
Although several cases of attempted murder had been opened, arrests had proved difficult as counter charges had since been filed.
A source told The Star that gun battles had increased in Westbury recently as gangsters from Cape Town had tried to enter the drug market in the area.
Crafford was unable to confirm this but said that those arrested in April for similar shootings in neighbouring Newclare were from the Western Cape.
The Star