Manenberg turns into warzone

Cape Town. 020415. Police visibility has been increased in Manenberg on the Cape Flats. Picture Leon Lestrade. Story Caryn Dolley.

Cape Town. 020415. Police visibility has been increased in Manenberg on the Cape Flats. Picture Leon Lestrade. Story Caryn Dolley.

Published Apr 5, 2015

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Cape Town -

Hard Livings, Americans and Dixie Boys gangsters in Manenberg shot at each other with assault rifles and machines guns this weekend, said residents who feared for their lives.

Police on Saturday confirmed one person was wounded in the gunfire.

Provincial police spokesman Lieutenant Colonel André Traut said police were investigating a case of attempted murder.

“An 18 year old was wounded in the crossfire. We were unaware of it at the time, but after being treated at a local hospital he later came forward and informed police he had been injured during the crossfire as he walked past them,” said Traut.

He said the police would maintain high visibility in the area until tranquility had been restored.

Police had meanwhile tried to disperse the gangs with stun grenades yesterday when fighting intensified.

On Friday, police also operated from above the area with a helicopter.

Police officers plan to stay in Manenberg until the situation calms down.

Residents said there were running gang battles between gangsters throughout the past week.

Violence in the area has become so brazen over the past few days that some residents told Weekend Argus they were trying to find alternative accommodation for their children.

Others took to Facebook, begging for police help.

Manenberg is one of a number of areas, including Athlone and Eerste River, where gang shootings have been reported recently.

But this week it stood out as the most volatile.

Traut confirmed shooting erupted in the area again yesterday at around 10.30am. “Police took action when two groups of people shot at each other and also threw stones… Stun grenades were used to defuse the situation, which is currently being monitored.

“We will not allow gangsters to practise their activities in our communities and put the lives of the public in danger.”

Residents said seven people were shot in 24 hours, however Traut did not have reports of this.

Weekend Argus visited Manenberg yesterday, but could not stay long as shootings had been reported moments earlier.

Police also cautioned a Weekend Argus journalist and photographer from going into Manenberg because of safety concerns.

Roegchanda Pascoe, a resident and member of the Manenberg Safety Forum, said about a week ago gangs in the area agreed on a ceasefire. But they then backed out of this and the latest spate of shootings broke out late on Friday after rival gangsters had been gambling.

“The two guys got into an argument. Then the one guy shot the other,” said Pascoe.

She said the man who was shot was a member of the Hard Livings gang.

This had infuriated members of the gang, who then retaliated by shooting at their rivals, the Americans and Dixie Boys. “They were using R5 rifles,” Pascoe said.

Her children had left their home to buy food and when the shooting broke out, she tried to go after them.

“I ran out of my house into the road. Bullets were flying past me. My daughter, she’s 17, was shot in the leg two years ago. She’s traumatised.”

She said the police helicopter had then arrived.

“I couldn’t sleep the whole night. Is this the Easter that we wanted? You can see the trauma in the people. There’s such fear in even the way they move.”

Pascoe was afraid to let her children outside, but felt bad for having to keep them indoors during their holiday.

The escalating violence was also detailed on the Facebook group Manenberg Gangwatch, which posted messages received from residents about where and when shootings were happening.

Yesterday a post from a resident said it looked like gangsters had been shooting at police.

It sounded like bombs everywhere in manenberg a warzone indeed (sic),” it said.

Before more police entered the area in the afternoon, residents took to the group, asking for police to intervene.

Another read: “Not a police in sight omw police where are you please don’t leave us alone where are you (sic).”

In another post, a resident urged others not to call emergency services when gang members were shot and to instead let the gangsters suffer.

The violence that broke out on Friday was also detailed on the Facebook page.

Shortly after 8pm on Friday, a post said guns were being fired in Maneneberg Avenue and that two men were running from Americans territory.

Another post, seven minutes later, said shots were going off in Silvertree Lane and it appeared the Hard Livings and Americans were fighting.

Another alert was posted: “Machine gun going off in swakop (street), hard livings retaliating on Americans and the response is getting worse, it’s raining bullets in thames avenue and stormsriver (street) (sic).”

At 8.40pm a resident asked where the police were because “this place turned into Iraq, it’s a gunfire storm out here in Manenberg”.

Posts said the light from the police helicopter was welcome, but did not seem to be deterring gangsters.

- Additional reporting by Zenzile Khoisan

Sunday Argus

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